Who Knows, Who Cares
by HoneyFlower15
Summary: They didn't know how they all got started and they didn't care. All that matter to them was that they were together and nothing could tare them apart. But still, it doesn't hurt to remember.
1. Remember

Chapter 1: Remember

They really didn't know how it all happen. They didn't know what made them so attracted to one another. What made them dream about the other, or what made them want to be with that person. They didn't know or how this feeling of theirs started and they really don't care. All the cared about was that they were together and that no one was going to tare them apart. Kiba Inuzuka and Sakura Haruno, were 20 years old and have been together for five years.

"Kiba." He loved the way she said his name. They way it rolled over her tongue always made him smile. He lifted his head into his hand and looked down at Sakura who was laying next to him with her head on his chest. Her eyes closed and a smile on her face. Right now they were in an open meadow enjoying spring and being with each other.

"Yes, Cherry." He asked using her nickname that somehow after all this time always made her cheeks turn pink. He gave her this name because of not only her name, which means Cherry Blossom, but because of her scent. She always smelled so sweet likes cherries that he had to give her that nickname.

"Do you remember how we started? Us, as a couple and all?" She asked him as he played with some of her hair. He couldn't get enough of her hair, or anything else of Sakura. To him she was perfect and he wanted to take as much of her in as he could.

"Why the sudden interest, blossom?" He continued to play with her hair and looked down at her face waiting for her eyes to open up. His wished they would soon, he loved looking into them.

His wish was soon granted because Sakura opened her eyes and looked into Kiba's eyes. You could see their love for each other in their eyes. "Just wondering that's all." Was her simple reply playing with his jacket's sipper.

Kiba's outfit was a gray short sleeved shirt with a black jacket over it. Black loose pants that were easy to move around in. He still wore his forehead protector on his forehead but decided to take off for a bit while they laid on the ground.

Sakura's outfit was a red haltor top with the Haruno crest was no longer on the back, instead the Inuzuka clan symbol was in its place, and a white tube tope under it. She still wore the white skirt and black shorts underneath but the white skirt now had a zipper going up on side. Her foot ware was black high heels that were the same length as her sandals. She still wore gloves but the one on her left went up to her elbow while her right glove stopped at her wrist. She still wore her fore her protector on her head, but it now the ribbon that ino gave her when they were kids.

"I remember, alright. I remember everything." He said as he stopped playing with her hair and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Sure you do." She laughed as he pouted. She kissed him lightly before cuddling up next to him, sighing with content and closed her eyes as both she and Kiba began to remember how they all started.


	2. Meeting

Chapter 2: Meeting

It was a beautiful day in Konoha and it seemed to be the perfect day for all the new kids trying to become ninjas. The begining students were only six years old and all of them seemd excited. Well...almost all of them. Inside one of the classrom was a six year old Sakura Haruno and her best friend Ino Yamanaka who was the same age.

"But Ino, what I can't be a good ninja?" Sakura asked Ino who was humming a soft tune.

"You'll do fine Sakura. You know almost everything there is to know about chakra and how to use it. I'm sure you'll be fine." Ino told her best friend trying to reassure her.

"But..." Sakura began to speak but got interupted.

"Arrf!" A bark could be heard from behind Sakura, causing her to jump. Both her and Ino turned around to see a boy with short messy brown hair and red uside down triangles on his cheeks, and a white puppy was with him. He was wearing an amusing grin on his face. Both girls knew that he was the one who barked.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you so much." He gave a light laugh at Sakura, still wearing his grin.

Sakura could only look away and turned back around to look in her lap.

"Hey! What's your problem!" Ino stood up and went to defend her friend.

"Whoa. I said sorry. I didn't think I would scare her that much." He said to ino who was still mad.

"Well sorry doesn't cut it. How would you feel if we barked at you." Ino was really made now and everyone could tell.

"Alright, alright. Sorry." He said knowing that Ino would only stop until he said sorry.

"Don't say it to me, say you're sorry to Sakura." She said pointing at Sakura who turned back around to face the boy.

"So your name's Sakura? Well, Sakura, I'm very sorry that I barked and scared you. So is Akamaru." He pointed to his white puppy who barked and waged his tail.

"It's ok." She told him looking down at her hands again.

"I take it, you don't talk much?" The said leaning in closer to Sakura who was turning pink at the closness of their faces. She put her head down so low that you could now only see the top of her head

"Well well, if it isn't billboard brow." All of the kids plus Akamaru turned to see Ami standing outside Sakura and Ino's row and was smiling an evil smile. "They let you in here? I'm amazed your big forhead even fit through the door." Ami and her friends laughed at Sakura who only looked back down at her hands and tried not to cry. "What's wrong? Afaird your big forhead will scare everyone away?"

"Knock it off, Ami!" Ino glared at Ami who only scoffed and walked away. "Don't listen to a word they say Sakura, Ami's just a stupid girl who has a big mouth." Ino said, trying to calm down her friend who was close to crying.

"O-ok." Sakura wiped her eyes with her hand to wipe away the tears that were threating to spill.

"Whoa, what's that girl's problem?" The boy asked once the three girls had left. Sakura looked at him one more time before turning away from him. He wanted to know why they were so mean to Sakura, and why they called her billboard brow. _'Girls, come up with weird nicknames.'_He thought waiting for one of them to answer his question.

"It's none of your business so butt out!" She told him before sitting down next to Sakura and began to tell her a story about what her dad did today.

"Really?" Sakura's eyes widen with amusement at what Ino told her.

"Yes really. I could've killed my dad for leaving his kunai pouch right in the middle of the living room. I fell right on my butt." Ino laughed as she remembered what happened to her this morning.

"You're lucky you didn't hurt yourself." Sakura said giggling.

"Actually I told him, I twisted my ankle when I fell. You should've seen how white he turned or how mad my mom got." Both girls broke out in laughter at this point in the story.

The teacher walked in the room soon enough and told the class to quiet down. He soon began to tell them about what they would be doning while being here and what kind of things they would be studying and experiencing. While this was going on, the boy from earlier wasn't listening to a word their Sensei was saying. He was focusing on Sakura. He heard everything the girls were talking about and couldn't help but smile at how carefree they looked. Especially Sakura.

_'Sakura...she has a really cute laugh.'_ The boy thought as he waited for class to end. He wanted to try and talk to Sakura again, and this time he wouldn't bark or scare her.

Lunch finally came and everyone was runnign out to go to friends and tell them what they learned and stuff.

"Hey Sakura!" Ino called from the door. "Let's go!" She waved to Sakura who was coming towards her. But just as reached ino she fell to ground because a water balloon was thrown at her.

"Ha! Take that billboard brow!" It was one of Ami's friends who through the balloon and was standing at the other exit before taking off.

(A/N: The acadmeny had two doors to enter. One in the back of the class and one at the front.)

"Sakura!" Ino helped Sakura help before taking off after the girl. "Get back here you little..." Ino disapeared into the halls running after the girl.

Alone now Sakura began to take the balloon pieces out of her hair while little tears went down her face. Just as she got the last balloon piece out, Sakura felt a hand on her head.

"Got'ca billboard brow!" It was Ami's voice. She took the ribbon that Sakura had on right off her head and began to run away.

"No!" Sakura ran after her desperately trying to catch up to get her ribbon back. _'Ino, gave me that. I have to get it back.'_ Sakura ran and ran but couldn't catch up, Ami was just to fast. Finally she was outside where Ami was with her friends laughing at her. Sakura saw that the ribbon was no longer in her hands.

"Good luck trying to find that ribbon now!" Ami and friends laughed at Sakura before walking away.

Sakura was now looking for the ribbon and for Ino but couldn't find either. She gave up after a little while and sat agaisnt a tree, pulled her knees up and put her head on them. She began to cry only to feel something lick her hand. She looked up to see that it was the boy from earlier and his puupy.

"You ok?" He asked. His hands were behind his back as he looked down at Sakura who was trying to wipe the tears away.

"Y-yeah. I-I'm ok." She told him. Her eyes were red form her crying and her throat now hurt too.

"You sure? I saw what happened in the classroom. Why are those girls so mean to you?" He asked her while Akamaru tried to get her to pet him.

Sakura gave a weak smile to the dog and began to pet his head. Akamaru was happy and curled up next to her letting her continue petting him. "It's because of my forehead." She told him.

"Your forehead?" He repeated and looked at her forehead. "Is there something wrong with it?" He didn't understand what she was talking about.

"Yes. It's too big. Everyone always makes fun of me for it. Ino's the only one who hasn't." She told him.

"I haven't." He was right. He never said anything about her forehead and Sakura just realized.

"Why not?" She was so use to people making fun of her because of her forehead, she didn't understand why he didn't.

"Because I don't see anything wrong with it." He told her the truth. He really didn't see anything wrong with her forhead.

"You don't?" She couldn't believe it.

"Yeah. It looks fine to me." He confessed before moving his hands to the front and showed her what was in his hand. Right there, in his hand was her ribbon.

"My ribbon!" The boy gave it back to Sakura who instanly put it back on her head.

"Yeah, I saw that they took it and found it. It's a little dirty but at least's it's not riped or anything." He said.

"Thank you." Sakura looked up at him and gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"Uh...no problem." His cheeks turned a bright red at that smile. "By the way, I'm Kiba Inzuka." The boy now known as Kiba said to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Kiba. I'm Sakura Haruno." Sakura told him her name forgetting that he already knew.

"Well it's nice to meet you to Sakura, aha ha." He gave a nervous laugh. "Well I gotta go. Come on, Akamaru!" The puppy went to his master and they took off running. "I'll see you later, Sakura!" Kiba called back.

"Bye!" She waved even though she knew that he couldn't see. "And thank you." She said the last part to herself as she watched him run with his dog.


	3. Teams and Decisions

Chapter 3: Teams and Decisions

A few years have gone by since Sakura and Kiba have met. They became friends, talking to each other during class, playing games during lunch and laughing almost always. And whenever Ino was absent, Kiba would keep Ami and her friends away from Sakura and he would walk her home to make sure nothing happened to her. Both were really happy and liked being with each other and thought they would be friends even after they graduated, but all that changed after Sakura found out that Ino held feelings for Sasuke.

Kiba Inuzuka was very excited today. Today was the day he was going to tell Sakura his feeling for her. They've been friends four four years now and had only two years left till they graduated, and he couldn't be sure that they would be on the same team. So he was going to tell her today, tell her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her. Running through the park with his dog Akamaru runing with him, Kiba finally picked up on Sakura's scent and ran to her. He was so happy about finding her that he didn't catch the other scent that was with her.

Kiba and Akamaru stopped behind a tree to look at Sakura who was sitting on a bench, Ino sitting besides her. They looked like they were talking about something very important.

"Oh, well. I guess I can tell her once Ino leaves." He said to Akamaru who barked quietly agreeing. Kiba could only imagine about what might happen after he tells Sakura his feelings. Sakura could reject him and it could ruin their friendship, but if she feels the same way then the two of them will be together and be in love. Kiba could feel his cheeks heat up at the thought and looked at Sakura with a shy smile. _'Time to go. The minute Ino leaves, I'm telling her everything.'_ He told himself about to walk over when he heard Sakura start to speak.

"By the way Ino, uh..." Sakura began looking down at the ground the entire time. To Kiba she looked sad.

"Well what is it, Sakura? Why do you look so down?" Ino asked wanting to know. Kiba also wondering. He didn't like Sakura being sad and wanted to know why she was sad and if someone cause her to be. If they were, then he would make sure that they apologized to Sakura and swear never to bother her ever again!

"It's just...I heard that you..." Sakura still couldn't finish her sentences. It was like she was to scared and sad to finish them.

"Come on, what is it?" Ino wanted to know what Sakura want to say to her. She was thinking that Ami or someone said some stupid joke or made up a dumb rumor about her and she was upset about it.

"Well is it true what I heard, you like Sasuke too?" She finally asked looking at Ino.

Ino gasped at sakura who only continued to stare at her. She couldn't believe it, someone told Sakura about her feeling for Sasuke. She made sure never to Sakura, because she knew that the pink haired girl had the same feelings for the boy, and Ino didn't want to mess up their friendship.

"So...I guess that means...we're rivals from now on." Sakura stood up and walked away. Ino stood up too and watched her best friend or now her ex-best friend walk away. She turned around her back now facing Sakura and ran. She ran home with tears in her eyes, hating everything that happened today.

Once the two girls left, Kiba who heard everything sat down leaning agaisnt the tree and looked down at Akamaru who was trying to comfort his master. A look of pure shock and despair was on the Inuzuka's face. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, or rather he didn't want to believe it.

"Her and Ino are rivals now? Because Ino likes Sasuke? So all this time...Sakura has...liked...?" Kiba couldn't say it. He didn't want to say it, hear it, didn't want it to be true! "But how can she...like him? Sasuke! That guy's nothin' but a jerk!" Kiba stood up and punched the tree that he was just leaning agaisnt. He pulled his hand away and looked at it as the blood began to flow from his wounded hand. He growled at the pain that was now in his hand, hating that he couldn't be stronger and deal with the pain, like a real ninja. Was that why Sakura liked Sasuke? Because he was strong and Kiba wasn't? No, that couldn't be the reason why. It just couldn't be. He growled again, making all thoughts of Sasuke leave his head. Kiba started to walk away from the tree that showed a stain of his blood, Akamaru following after him. "Whatever." Was all he said before going home to try and forget about what just happened. Forget about what he heard today.

/2 Years later/

Everyone had passed the test and were all now Genin and were being put into a three man team. They were waiting for Iruka-sensei to announce what teams they would be placed in. Both Ino and Sakura were fighting about Sasuke once again. Once Sakura announced their rivaly they have never once stopped fighting, everyday they were always yelling and screaming at each other. As for Kiba, he stayed away from both girls, Sakura the most. Every time he looked her way and/or was near her his heart would start to beat fast and it would hurt. He hated this feeling, hated that Sakura cause this feeling in him and didn't even know that she did it it. Hated that Sasuke had Sakura's heart but he just ignored her, treating her like she was dirt. He hated that she grew out her hair. _'What's she thinking? It looks better short._' He looked at her long hair in disgust wanting to take a kunai and cut it. But he just stayed in his sit watching all the girls in class beat up Naruto for kissing Sasuke.

Iruka walked in soon after and old everyone to calm down while he explained what would happen to them from now on. All the girls fought for it, but Sakura came out as the winner and sat next to Sasuke. Kiba had to stop the growl that wanted to escape when he saw how happy she was next to the Uchiha. It wasn't right Sakura should be sitting next to him, smiling happy because she was next to him, because she loved him, not Sasuke!

"Squad seven." Iruka began to annoce the names. "Naruto Uzmaki, Sakura Haruno, and..." Sakura, Kiba, and Naruto all held their breaths. Sakura praying for Sasuke, Kiba praying that Iruka would call his name, and Naruto praying for anyone but Sasuke. "Sasuke Uchia!" Iruka finished not knowing that he just crushed two of his students hopes, but made one very happy.

Sakura threw her hands up in the air showing just how happy she was. Naruto just put his head down on the desk and kept saying _"I'm doomed"_ over and over again. And Sasuke, just sat there looking bored and annoyed.

_'Come Iruka-Sensei! What's the matter with you? Why's you have to put them together?'_ Kiba felt like punching something, namely Sasuke's face. How dare he look so upset. He was on Sakura's team, something that Kiba wanted but didn't receive. The Uchiha should be grateful for being placed on her team. Kiba made a fist, ready to jump Sasuke, but stopped himself when he remembered where he was. The feeling he had, it was just like the time when he punched that tree two years ago. The feeling of heartbreak was coming back. _'Just forget it.'_ He told himself._'Looks like Sakura gets to be with her beloved Sasuke.'_ Kiba glared at Sasuke with pure hatred of how he held everything he loved and wanted, before turning back to Iruka-Sensei and acting like his heart didn't just broken all over again.

"Squad eight. Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inzuke, and Shino Aburame." He began to announce squad nine.

_'I guess this is good. Shino and I are good friends and can read each other movements easily, and Hinata is alright, I guess. Just wish she talked more and didn't stutter as much.'_ He thought with a smirk looking at his two teammates before his gaze went back to Sakura. A sigh escaped him as he watched her, wishing that things were they way they were. Wishing more then ever that it was him, she liked. That she was rubbing it in Ino's face because they were on the same team together. That she loved him the same way Kiba loved her.

"Squad Ten. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi." He annouced all the teams and told them all to get lunch so they could get to know one another better. Ino groaned and put her face in her hands. _'Great! I'm with the Mr. Lazy and the kid who can't ever stop eating!'_ Ino just wanted to run home and hide. She glared at Sakura for being able to be with Sasuke, she just scoffed and turned her head away. That's when she saw Kiba, he seemed to be looking at something. She followed his gaze and saw that it landed on Sakura. She went back from Kiba to Sakura to back to Kiba and then back to Sakura. She turned her head to look once again and then saw it. Saw the look of love and longing in his eyes. _'For Sakura? But why would he be looking at her like that? I thought Kiba wasn't friends with her anymore. Unless...!'_ A light bulb went off in her head. _'Kiba likes Sakura buts doesn't like that she likes Sasuke, so he pretends to hate her.'_ Ino wanted to scream in happiness when she thought about it. It made sense to her now, she and Kiba would fight a lot back when all three were still friends but he was always near them, she thought it was to just annoy her, but now she see it's because he wanted to be Sakura. _'So Dog-Boy likes Sakura? This should be good.'_ Ino just smiled and stood up with her teams. After lunch she was going to have a talk with an old friend.

Everyon soon left with in team for luch. They took Iruka's advice to get to know one another. Well most of them. The only team that didn't was team seven with Sasuke going one way, Sakura looking for him, and Naruto trying to go to Sakura but she sent him off. This team has a long way to go.

"Oh! I can't find sasuke anywhere." Sakura sighed in defeat sitting down on a bench that was near the school. "I wonder how the other teams are doing? Probabaly better then us, but we probably wouldn't have this problem if Naruto wasn't so annoying and if Sasuke only...!" Sakura didn't know to finish that sentence. She didn't want to say anything bad about Sasuke, even though deep deep **deep** down she knew that if Sasuke only stopped to try and work with them then they could be an amazing team. "Guess I can only hope and wait to see that we get better. But still...why Naruto? I'm going to go insane with him. I would have perferd someone else like Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, or even...Kiba." Sakura looked down at the ground for a minute as she said his name. "Maybe not Kiba. I mean sure we were good friends back when we were kids but now..." After Sakura and Ino stopped being friends, Kiba began to act cold towards her and even stopped talking to her, and Sakura had no idea why. "I don't get understand he stopped talking to me. We were really good friends, but after Ino and I stopped being friends, then he stopped too. Why? He and everyone else knows we stopped because Ino liked Sasuke too, so maybe he got mad because...He likes Ino!" Sakura told herself looking up and began to think.

"Yeah! That must be why! He's mad cause Ino liked Sasuke and because she and I keep fighting, he's mad at me because I keep yelling at the person he likes." Sakura said out loud thinking she got the right answer. "It makes sense now. Kiba likes Ino and is mad at me cause I'm always fighting with her. Hey maybe after I win Sasuke's heart I'll try to get them together. It's the least I can do, being the good hearted person that I am." Sakura smiled and began to eat her food.

Speaking of Kiba, he and his team were doing great. They got along and each of their attacks and abilities went well together. Shino and Hinata decided to head back to class while Kiba went to go throw the packages of his lunch away. As he did this, he heard Sakura talking to herself and say his name. Curiosity got the better of him, and like the last time, hide behind a tree to listen in and heard everything she said about him and Ino. He just stood there with a look of pure shock and annyonce on his face as his right eye began to twitch.

_'Is she serious? Where the hell did she come up with that stupid idea! Now way I could ever like Ino! She's way too loud and annoying.'_ He thought thinking over the very loud obnoxious blonde that he put up with during his childhood because he wanted to spend time with Sakura. _'Come on, Sakura! You're suppose to be the smartest kunoichi of our class, how can you not figure out that it's not Ino I like, it's you!'_ He wanted to come out and tell her the truth, that he had feelings for her and no one else, but old wounds of his heart weren't letting him. _'No. She still likes sasuke. What's the point in telling her now? She'd only reject me and I feel like having my heart broken again.'_ He thought giving a heavy sigh of defeat before heading back to his team.

But he left a little to soon because once he did, Sakura gave a heavy sigh herself and looked at the ground once again. She was upset about something.

"Why do I feel this way? I like Sasuke, and now I know that Kiba likes Ino, I should be happy. So why does my heart feel like it's in pain. It's like when I picture the two of them together my heart begins to feel like it's being squeezed and I can't breath. But why...? I don't get it? I like Sasuke, so i should be upset thinking about Ino and Kiba as a coupe." Sakura told herself wanting an answer to feeling she had deep in her chest, but it never came. "Ok, I get that I use to have a crush on him, but that was when I was like ten, and besides the day I thought about telling him was the day when Ami told me about Ino. So there's no point in even telling him now." She said nodding her head and was about to eat again but realized what she just said. "No! Wait! I'm not gonna tell him! There's nothing to tell! Those feelings...they're in the past. Right? No! Don't think this way sakura. You love Sasuke, and soon enough he'll see that you're the one he loves too." Sakura nodded now happy and went to finish her meal.


	4. Confrontation

Chapter 4: Confrontation

Ino had a huge smile on her face as she left her new-formed team and went looking for Kiba. After the way she saw him looking at Sakura she just had to know if he really did have feelings for her or just missed spending time with her and being friends.

_'Yeah right. No way has dog-boy only wanted to be friends again. The way I saw him looking at billboard brow, Kiba is so in love with Sakura. I wonder for how long?'_ She wondered if it was a case of love at first sight. _'Oh, what does it matter? All I have to do is to just get him to confess that he really is in love and then things will really start to get interesting.'_Ino searched all over the school but didn't find Kiba; she then began to look through the park and any other surrounding places. She finally found him leaning up against a tree playing with Akamaru. She walked over to him with a smile on her face.

He must have known she was there because he turned his head to look at her. He didn't look happy at all, and was glaring at her with a look that was screaming at her to leave him alone.

"What do you want?" He asked picking up a stick and threw it for Akamaru to chase.

"I just came here to talk." She said in a sweet voice smiling.

"What's up with you? That smile you're wearing is making you look creepier then normal." Kiba said walking over to Akamaru, picked him up, and put him on Kiba's head. That smile Ino had on was creeping him out and he wanted to get away.

"Ha ha ha. Oh, Kiba! You're so funny." Ino forced a laugh still wearing her smile. Her left eye began to twitch with anger. _'Who you calling creepy dog-boy?'_ Ino thought trying not to scream at Kiba.

"Just tell me what you want already. I can tell your faking being nice and want to yell at me." He smirked. He could easily tell that Ino was not happy that he found her out. He turned around and walked out of the park and back into school grounds. Ino followed him and now both were standing outside the academy.

"Yeah whatever. Look I'll come right out and ask." Ino put her hands on her hips and asked. "Are you in love with Sakura?"

Kiba who was still walking stopped mid-step at what Ino asked him. His eyes went wide at her question and his hands that were in his pockets, turned into fists. _'She figured it out! But how? I made sure that no one could ever tell.'_ Kiba turned around to Ino and had on a look that was screaming, "yes he was in love with Sakura but he wasn't going to confess."

He forced a fake smile on his face, trying to look shock that she would even say something like that to him. To bad, his face was screaming the exact opposite. "Just what are you talking about? No way I'm in love with Sakura. What gave you that dumb idea?" He asked, wanting to know what proof she may or may not have. If she did have proof, he needed to get rid of it. He wasn't ready to tell Sakura his feelings yet, not with the way she was with Sasuke. It would only end badly for him if she fond out now.

Ino only rolled her eyes at Kiba and how stupid he was acting. "Oh, I don't know…maybe the fact that you were staring at her through most of the class with a loving/longing gaze." Ino smiled knowing she had him.

_'Damn! She has me!'_ Kiba just scoffed, trying to play it off. "That proves nothing!" Akamaru, who was sitting on his head, picked his head up at Ino. "Arf! Arf!" Kiba pointed at her with Akamaru barking, agreeing with him.

"Well how about when we were kids? You were always hanging around with her no matter what. Even when I would fight with you or when I made it look like you peed yourself. Most guys I know would never come back the next day and hang out with us again…" Ino told him. She was looking into his eyes, looking for any sort of sign that would show her what his really feelings were.

This was conversation was heading into dangerous territory. "Well…that was…I…uh…I just felt like it ok!" Kiba tried to argue, but knew that there was no point. Ino had him, now he could only hope that Sakura wasn't around to hear them. He did want her to know about his feelings for her, he had always secretly hoped that if she knew then it would give him a good chance at being with her, but he was not ready to face her. When he did tell her his feelings, he wanted it to be the perfect moment.

It would happen when it was just the two of them alone together. The mood between would be good, their feelings would be that of complete relaxation and content. He could see himself wearing a big smile, while Sakura wore a softer smile, both blushing while they confessed their undying love to each other. It would be perfect, their hearts and mind would only be focused on each other. Not Sasuke, or anyone else.

Ino crossed her arms by now and gave Kiba a look that said she knew all. That it was pointless for him to lie anymore. "I thought it was weird that you still hung out with us, but not as weird as when Sakura and I stopped being friends. I always wondered why you suddenly stopped handing around, but now I see it's because you found out about Sakura liking Sasuke and didn't like it because you're in love with her." Ino knew she had won. There was no way he could try and get his way out of this. She had him.

Kiba wanted to scream. How she figured out his feelings was a mystery to him, but he couldn't let that bother him now. She had him and he could only stand there and pray that no one was around to hear what he was about to say. "Alright, I like her. What's the big deal?" He crossed his arms, turning his head away from her. He looked around with both his eyes and his nose, searching to see if anyone had heard them. He didn't pick on any scents that would be close enough for them to hear, so he was safe. Although he did pick up on Sakura's scent and it seemed to be getting closer.

He took in a big whiff of her scent and shut his eyes as a feeling of bliss overtook his body. Sakura's scent was by far the best smell he had ever smelt. He loved how no matter where he was or what he was doing, he could always smell her. Her scent was always with him, it was always in the wind, waiting for Kiba to take as much of it in as he could.

_'I guess I better wrap up this little talk with Ino. Sakura already assumes I like this dumb blonde and I don't need her seeing us together to add to her thoughts. I need her to know that I'm available and waiting for her with open arms. No other girl had my heart, only Sakura!'_He thought to himself, looking back at Ino, wishing she knew the meaning of the words "Shut Up". If Sakura did see them together, it could ruin his already low chances of getting together with her.

Not knowing that Sakura was heading their way, Ino made sure that they stayed where they were until she got what she wanted from Kiba. "The big deal is that you haven't told her yet. You'll have to tell her if you want to know if you two could ever be together." Ino explained to him. How could this guy be so stupid? She wanted to hit him for being so dense. If he liked Sakura then he needed to tell her, and if she said no, then he needed to make Sakura see that he was meant for her. Then Sasuke could be all hers.

Sakura's scent was getting closer, so Kiba needed to get Ino to leave. The easiest way was to get her angry. It may cause him to get a huge headache but it had to be done. "Why do you even care? You're probably only doing this thinking that if I confess then Sasuke will be all yours." He didn't miss the look that passed in her eyes. He had a feeling that those were her real intentions all along and now he knew for sure. "Well it's not going to work! Sakura likes Sasuke, and there's no way I'm going to say anything knowing her feelings for that guy!" Kiba said turning away and heading back to the classroom. Let Ino do what she wants no, no way would he let her get involved in his love life. He had his own plans on winning Sakura over.

One way was by getting stronger then Sasuke, beating him into a bloody pulp, and show Sakura that he could protect her. That he was the strongest and cared about her more then anyone else in the world. He would prove to her that he was best and that if, no when, she chose him, she would never regret it. She would always be happy by his side.

Ino watched him go but she still had one more question she wanted to ask him. "For how long have you liked her anyways?" She asked, waiting to see what his reaction would be.

Kiba's mind flashed back to the day he found Sakura's ribbon for her. How cute she looked, and how her smile made his heart beat faster. "What does it matter to you?" He replied, keeping his pace as he headed back inside the academy

Ino just raised and eyebrow. His reply told her everything. "For that long huh?" She wondered how she never noticed this.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Kiba stopped to turn around and yell at her. He didn't need her knowing that he has liked Sakura since he first met her. He wanted Sakura to know that, not her annoying ex-best friend.

"You've liked her since we were kids, haven't you?" Ino wanted to see if he would tell her the truth or try and lie again. Not that it mattered. She had a pretty good idea of how strong and how long his feelings for Sakura were.

Kiba suddenly felt like he was being closed in, and they weren't even inside a room. They were still outside. "No! I…well I…I just thought she was cute that's all. I mean, it's not like I've liked her since I first met her." He said turning around and left Ino. His face as red as a tomato.

_'Great, just great! Why not just tell her everything. She already knows that I've liked her since we met, why not tell her just everything about my feelings for Sakura! Tell her how I use to follow her home like I was some lost puppy!'_ Kiba thought as he made his way back to his team. He would never to tell or anyone, maybe Sakura after they dated, but after he stopped being friends with he would follow her home to make sure that no one tried to hurt her. Just because he stopped being friends with her, didn't mean that he stopped loving her. He still did and he wanted to make sure that she was safe.

Once the dog-nin left her, Ino couldn't help the smile that claimed its way onto her face. "Looks like its true, Kiba really does love Sakura." She said to herself as she began to make her way back to her team also. "Now if I could only find Sakura and see what her feelings are." Just as Ino said that she caught a glimpse of pink hair. "Looks like today is my lucky day." Ino ran towards Sakura but slowed down when she got close enough to be seen.

She knew about Sakura's feelings for Sasuke, how could she forget, they stopped being friends because of those feelings. However if she remembered correctly, Sakura would sometimes blush at Kiba when they were playing together and Sakura would tell Ino after Kiba left that she thought he was really nice and liked him a lot. She never thought much of it back then, thinking that she was just being nice or because Kiba had given her candy or something that day. Now she really wondered what Sakura's feelings really were.

_'Let's see if those feelings still exist, and if they do then I need to bring them back up!'_Ino walked closer to Sakura and both girls stopped when they looked at one another.

"Ino."

"Sakura."

Both girls stared directly into the other's eyes, neither backing down from their staring match. Everyone knew of their rivalry and tended to avoid them when they got into one of their little matches. The to girls did not mind, they were rivals and they would only stop when someone won. With no one around, it just made it easier to fight without someone trying to break them apart.

"Going back in to wait for you sensei, Ino?" Sakura asked, as she began to walk into the building.

"I am, but Sakura let me ask you something." Ino walked up next to her. "Why did you and Kiba stop being friends? You two seemed really close growing up." It was a straight forward question and Ino waited for her reply.

Sakura only shrugged at the question given to her. "Who knows? You would have to ask him. One day we were friends, the next day he ignored me and wouldn't come near or even talk to me." Sakura explained looking straight ahead. If you didn't know Sakura as well as Ino knew her then you wouldn't have heard the sadness in her voice or the flash of pain in her eyes.

_'So there are feelings for him still deep inside her. If anything, she is upset that she and Kiba aren't close anymore.''_Ino thought, now knowing what she had to say and do. "Maybe you should ask him. After all you were much closer to him then I ever was. Actually there was a time when I began to wonder if you two liked each other." Ino waited for what Sakura's reaction would be. From there, she would be able to tell what her real feelings were.

Much like Kiba had done, Sakura stopped mid-step and turned to look at Ino. They were right outside of the classroom. "What your point, Ino? Are you trying to make me like Kiba so you can get Sasuke all to yourself?" Sakura asked her ex-best friend. She had a feeling that was the real reason why she was talking to her so suddenly.

She had to admit that it was a random thing to talk about, but Sakura didn't let it bother her. She would not let Ino win. "Well whatever you're up to, it's not going to work. I'll admit there was a time in my life when I did like Kiba a little bit, but all that changed when I realized my true feelings for Sasuke." She said crossing her arms, trying to look tough. "Well that and because he ignored me whenever I tried getting close to him." She mumbled the last part to herself and look away from Ino.

Another smile came onto Ino's face; she heard what Sakura had mumbled to herself. "So Kiba suddenly stopped hanging around you? Think Sakura; think about the time he stopped and what reason he might have to why he stopped being friends with you. You never know, you just might learn something pretty interesting." Ino told Sakura, who looked at her with confusion, before walking into the classroom and sat with her team.

Sakura soon followed in after her and sat down in the front waiting for her teacher and team to show up.

_'What does Ino mean by that? Think about why he stopped being friends with me. What the point in thinking about it? We're older now and that's all in the past.'_ She told herself crossing her arms across the desk. _'But still…I've always wanted to know why he stopped but I could never do summon up the courage to ask him. Even now I…huh?'_ Sakura's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and in walked Kiba and his team. Shino and Hinata were walking ahead of Kiba, who seemed to be lost in thought. Sakura just stared at the brown haired dog-nin as she thought over what Ino told her.

_'Think Sakura; think about the time he stopped and what reason he might have to why he stopped being friends with you. You never know, you just might learn something pretty interesting.'_

Sakura didn't realize that she was staring so long until Kiba turned his head to look at Sakura with a questioning look. At that point, Sakura quickly looked away only to glance out of the corner of her eye and looked away again. A light pink blush was visible on her cheeks and Kiba couldn't figure out why. He was sitting with his team as they waited for their sensei, wondering what why Sakura was suddenly acting so weird.

_'Even now I still can't summon up the courage to ask him. Even after all these years, I just can't do it.'_ Sakura sighed, looking down at her lap. One hand went over her now beating heart. _'What's wrong with me? I couldn't stop staring and my heart…it's beating so hard. But I only get this way when I'm with Sasuke, and yet my heart is beating and face feels hot.'_Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. _'Are these my feelings of the time when I had that crush on him?'_Sakura knew the answer to that question. It was true that she did still harbor some feelings for Kiba but never thought much of them because of her feelings for Sasuke.

Sakura looked out of the corner of her to see Kiba talking to Shino; Akamaru on his head looking happy. Hinata was off to the side listening to them and sometimes nodding her head if they spoke to her.

_'Ino said to think about why he stopped. I thought it was because he liked Ino, but why do I get the feeling that that isn't true.'_ Sakura thought this over and found her idea of Kiba liking the blonde extremely unlikely. _'But if it's not that then what? I mean it's not like he has feelings for me and stopped being around me because he figured out my feelings for Sasuke…?'_ Sakura looked away from Kiba, wanting these sudden thoughts to leave her.

_'That can't be it. It just can't be!'_She didn't want to admit it, but it made a lot of sense. But there was still one thing that was still so unclear to Sakura. Did Kiba really stop being friends with her because he hated Sasuke that much? Or was there another reason? It couldn't be that Kiba…liked her? _'No way. Kiba…he couldn't think of me that way. Could he?'_ She wanted so badly to ask him and know the truth, but she was to sacred to.

Lucky for Sakura her attention was stolen away from Kiba when Sasuke and Naruto came back into class. With Naruto yelling and screaming at Sasuke, who would only talk back with insults. Both of them sat down besides Sakura and ignored each other. Sakura just shook her head and kept to herself. She didn't try to talk to Sasuke, or yell at Naruto for bothering him. She just sat there and thought about what Ino said.

_'Ino said I would find something interesting when I thought about Kiba. Did she know about his feelings? So does that mean he really does like me?'_ She wondered to herself and suddenly she felt very tired. She put her arms on the desk and her head in her arms and closed her eyes not realizing that she was falling asleep.

/Dream/

_Right now you can see a beautiful meadow filled with many flowers. It seemed to be spring and every flower there was in full bloom. There were two young girls running around, one blonde hair and pink hair, both were enjoying themselves. They were laughing and smiling the whole time._

"_I'm gonna get you Ino!" An eight-year-old Sakura yelled chasing after her best friend._

"_Let's see if you can Sakura!" An eight-year-old Ino yelled beck running from Sakura laughing and smiling. They seemed to be playing tag._

_Neither saw a shadow watching them from the trees until it jumped down and lightly grabbed them by their arms._

"_Ha! I win!" An eight-year-old Kiba said happy that he won. His puppy was bouncing up and down also happy that Kiba won._

"_Aw! Not again!" Ino sighed in defeat sitting down on the ground. Kiba and Sakura soon joined her. "You weren't even playing with us and you still won!" She complained. It seemed like whenever they played with the young Inuzuka, he always came out as the winner._

"_You're really good at this Kiba." Sakura said with a tiny blush on her cheeks. No one really thought much of it since she was always blushing when she talked. She was shy after all and they were use to it._

_Kiba had a wide grin on his face._"_Yeah well…I guess it just proves what an awesome ninja I'm going to be." He put a hand behind his head and smiled at Sakura. He had a small blush on his face too but neither girl could see it because of his red triangles. He was happy that Sakura complimented him, it meant that she was happy with him._

"_Where'd you come from anyways?" Ino asked now lying down and looked up at the sky._

"_From the playground. I was playing with a few kids, but they all left so I came over here to play with Akamaru but saw you two and decided to join in on you game." He explained to them._

"_You have too much energy in you." Ino told him standing up. "I'm going to get a snack from my mom. You guys want anything?" They both shook their heads no and Ino walked off._

_Once gone Sakura turned back to Kiba and gasped as she looked at his hand. There was a cut on it and it was still bleeding._

"_Kiba, what happened?" She pointed to his hand._

_He looked down and seemed to suddenly remember that his hand was injured._"_Oh! I fell on my way here. There was a rock hidden under some leaves and I didn't notice until I fell." He told her with a sheepish smile. Actually while walking he picked up on Sakura's scent and started to run towards her only to trip on a rock that was easily seen._

"_Are you ok?" Sakura asked taking his hand and looked at the cut._

_Kiba could feel his cheeks turn pink at her touch. "I'm fine really. It's not as bad as it looks." He didn't want her to worry about him but was glad that she was giving him so much attention._

"_Does it hurt?" She asked with concern in her voice. Sakura was worried about Kiba, he was a good friend to her and she didn't want to see him hurt._

"_A little, but it's nothing to worry about." He told her. He didn't like seeing her looking so upset. He liked it better when she smiled._

_Sakura didn't hear him, instead she brought his hand close to her lips and kissed the wound. Just like a mother would to her injured child. Kiba's cheeks turned a bright red as he watched her, he stared at her as his heart began to beat faster. Just as soon as she kissed it she stopped and moved his hand away from her mouth, but still held it in her hands._

"_There! All better! My mommy does that for me when I get a hurt and she kisses it to make it better. It always worked for me and I hope that it worked for you" Sakura explained letting go of his hand._

_Kiba just sat there staring at Sakura. His cheeks were a bright red, his mouth was open and he just continued to stare at Sakura._

"_Kiba? Are you ok?" Sakura asked him looking worried. She wondered if he got hurt anywhere else._

"_What? Oh wait! I mean…of course I'm ok! Thanks Sakura! You really helped me!" He told her in a weak tone._

_Sakura looked at Kiba with concern still before getting up and put her hand on his forehead._

"_W-what are you doing?" Kiba asked feeling his face heat up again. He wanted to move away but his body wouldn't move._

"_Your face is all red and you're acting really weird. I wanna see if you have a fever." She explained to him taking her hand away and sat back down in front of him. "I'm worried about you Kiba."_

"_You're…worried about me?" He asked her. His cheeks were no longer red but his heart was still beating fast._

"_Yes of course. I care about you. How can I not be worried?" She smiled at him._

_Kiba just looked at Sakura for a moment before getting a serious look on his face. He gulped before speaking. "Sakura..."_

"_Hm?" Sakura looked at him still smiling wondering what he wanted to say._

"_There's something that I've wanted to tell you for a while now." He began looking her in the eyes. He looked nervous but seemed very serious._

"_What is it?" Sakura asked, wondering why he had such a serious look on his face._

_He opened his mouth, but seemed to have a hard time getting the words out_. "_I wanted to tell you…that I…well…I…I…I like yo…"_

"_I'm back!" Ino jumped down next to them scaring them both._

"_Ino! Don't do that." Sakura said turning to her best friend who was laughing at them._

"_Sorry. I couldn't help it." Ino laughed sitting down with a bag full of candy. "Here. I know you guys said you didn't want any I still brought enough for all of us._

"_Wow! Thanks Ino!" Sakura said taking a piece of candy._

"_Kiba?" Ino asked holding the bag to his face._

"_No thanks. I have to get home soon, so…I better go." He said standing up. "See ya guys." He walked off after that._

"_What's his problem?" Ino asked._

_Sakura just shook her head saying she didn't know before standing up and ran after Kiba. As she ran she didn't see that Ino, the meadow and everything around her was disappearing. All she saw was Kiba._

"_Kiba!" She called out to him. "What did you want to tell me before?" She asked him._

"_I wanted to tell you that…" As Kiba was turning around his eight year old self disappearing and the twelve-year-old Kiba of today stood. "I love you." He looked right at Sakura who was now twelve herself._

"_Kiba…" Sakura looked at him. She could feel her lips moving on their own, answering him. "I…"_

_**Bang!**_

Sakura jumped at the noise and looked around the room. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep. She picked up her head and looked around only to see Naruto putting his arm around her and a camera in his other hand.

"Naruto…What are you doing?" She asked her chin now resting in her arms as she glared.

"Nothing." He said, his body was frozen stiff with fear.

Sakura who only sigh grabbed the camera and through it in the trash before hitting Naruto on the head. "That's for trying to take advantage of me while I was sleeping." She said moving past him and out of the row. She looked around the room to see that their team was the only one left.

"Ow! That hurt Sakura!" Naruto held his head in pain. "Stupid Kiba. If hadn't slammed the door so hard then Sakura wouldn't have woken up and hit me." Naruto mumbled to himself.

Sakura heard him and was ready to punch him again but then stop after thinking over about what he said. "Wait? Kiba? What'd he do?" She asked forgetting about her anger towards Naruto.

"His sensei came and got him and his team. He was the last one out of the room. He looked over at us before going out of the room and slammed the door." Naruto said jumping out of the row and walked over to the door to open it up and looked around to see if there was anyone outside. "He did that on purpose!" Naruto complained shutting the door.

Sakura just stared at Naruto before turning away to look at Sasuke who was looking bored and annoyed. She turned away and looked at the door.

_'Kiba saw what Naruto was doing and slammed the door to wake me up. So does that mean he was jealous? Or was he just trying to annoy Naruto? And if he is jealous then does he really like me?'_Sakura had a lot of question that she wanted answers to but knew that only she could answer them. She knew that she would have to get closer to Kiba to answer those questions and for some reason that she didn't know of she felt happy at the thought of getting closer.

_'But is it because I like him or just want to be his friend again? I need to know.'_She told herself before shaking her to get the thoughts out of her mind before walking over to Naruto, who was trying to pull a prank on their sensei when they arrived, to yell at him to stop.


	5. Explanation

Chapter 5: Explanation

Kiba couldn't believe it; Naruto was trying to take advantage of Sakura while she was sleeping. He was ready to punch Naruto when he saw him put his arm around Sakura and take out the camera. It took everything he had not to break the camera and Naruto's hand. He really hated that kid. Not only was Sasuke, the guy he's hated since childhood and rival for Sakura's heart, on the team but so was Naruto. It was no secret that the hyper blonde liked Sakura, the whole team just made Kiba want to scream in frustration.

_'That little squirt! Why'd he have to end up with Sakura? It isn't fair! I care about Sakura way more then he does! As if things weren't hard enough with Sasuke being on the team too. Which means he'll be together with Sakura a lot, and even alone sometimes if the mission called for it?'_ Kiba wanted to growl at the thought of Sakura and Sasuke being all alone together, in a dangerous situation, where just about anything could happen_. 'The two of them being together is not what I want! Man, why'd Iruka-sensei have to put them on the same team?'_ Kiba thought dragging his feet across the field where their sensei was taking them. He wanted nothing more then to go back into the classroom, throw Naruto and Sasuke out the window, and show Sakura that he was better for her then those two.

"Kiba!" Shino's voice brought him out of his thoughts of running back.

"What?" Kiba glared at his teammate, instantly regretting how he was acting. He didn't want to act like some spoiled child, but he was just so mad. He was mad at Naruto for trying to take advantage of Sakura while she was sleeping. He was made that Sasuke was always mean to Sakura and yet she still loved him. He was mad that Sakura couldn't see that he was in love with her. And he was mad that he didn't have enough courage to tell Sakura how he felt about her.

"If you end up keeping all your anger and frustration inside of you and never vent it, then not only will it weaken you as a shinobi but it can also make you do things to the one you love that you will regret later on." Shino stood right in front of Kiba as he spoke. His hands were in his pockets, voice at a calm even tone. So

Kiba just stood there and took in Shino's words. He thought that what he said made a lot of sense, but at the same time was wondering how in the world he knew what he was thinking about.

"Yeah...thanks man." Kiba gave a small thankful smile to Shino who only nodded his head and went up to Hinata and their sensei.

Kiba looked down at Akamaru and picked him up to put him on his head. "I gotta admit buddy, Shino really knows just what to say to help you out. Just wish I knew how he could know what I was thinking about." Kiba muttered the last part to himself and his best friend as he joined his team. He decided that instead of getting depressed over the teams, he would get stronger with his and really show Sakura that he was the perfect match for her. Not Sasuke or any other guy in the village.

* * *

Everyone after becoming a team trained hard and went on a lot of missions. They didn't really see anyone from their old classes. Only when they were leaving the village for a mission or coming back from one, and that was only on rare occasions. Neither Sakura nor Kiba ever saw one another and both really wanted too. Sakura wanted to see Kiba because she wanted to talk to him about the real reason why he stopped being friends with her, and if he really did like her like she thought he did. Kiba wanted to see Sakura again too, but his reasons where very different from Sakura's. His reasons for wanting to see her were simple; he just wanted to see her again. He hated not being able to see her after so long.

He would always look for her whenever he would leave or enter the village from a mission, but he never once caught any sight or smell of the pink haired girl. He hated not seeing her, but he hated it even more that Sasuke got to see Sakura everyday, and he didn't even appreciate it. That is what pissed Kiba off the most, how could Sasuke not see what a beautiful and amazing girl Sakura was! She was perfect and Sasuke acted like she was just like any other girl.

Then again, Kiba was kind of glad that Sasuke saw her that way. Sure he wanted everyone to acknowledge Sakura as the greatest woman in the Leaf Village, but if Sasuke did finally see what a great girl Sakura was, it would end badly for Kiba. So even though he got mad whenever Sasuke talked down to Sakura, he would always think it was better then Sasuke saying that he liked her.

The time finally came for Kiba, and Sakura, to see everyone again. The Chunin Exams came and the three sensei's for the rookie nine, signed them all up. Everyone seemed ready to take them, ready to test how much they have grown since they became genin. Everyone was ready to fight, all of them were, expect for Sakura. She couldn't stop the wave of nerves that would rush over her body whenever she thought of the exams.

_'There's no way I can do this. I can't even beat Naruto, how am I supposed to fight other ninjas from the different villages?'_Sakura thought to herself in dread as she neared the academy. She was late and apologized to her teammates about it before they went inside to register for the exams. From there they meet two guys playing a genjutsu on them, a boy named Rock Lee who fought Sasuke and asked Sakura out. Then met Guy-sensei, who scared the three genin for life.

Finally after many distractions, and a very weird sensei/student moment, Squad Seven made their way into the room where the Chunin Exams would take place. As the tree walked in, they were met with all different faces, most scary ones.

"Whoa. What's this?" Naruto stared in shock, with a hint of fear, in his eyes as he and his teammates looked at the other contestants in the room. Sasuke just gave them all one of his glares and Sakura had to stop herself from running out of the room and hiding behind Kakashi.

"Gee. I guess, we're not alone." They really weren't. The whole room was filled with ninjas from every hidden village. Each one looking scarier then the last. _'Oh man. I had no idea there'd be so much competition.'_Sakura looked around the room more and saw that everyone ninja there was staring at the three of them. _'If being scary looking is one of the tests, they got me beat.'_Sakura gulped thinking of what the actual test would be like.

"Sasuke! Where have you been?" Sakura's attention and everyone else in the room was thrown towards Sasuke grunting as Ino jumped onto his back. "Boy, you have no idea how much I was hoping you'd show up here. I've missed those brooding good looks of yours." Ino had a small blush on her face, either ignoring or not seeing Sasuke glaring at her, silently telling her to get off of him.

"Hey you porker, back off! He's mine!" Sakura glared at Ino, pointing an accusing finger her way. She really hated how Ino would always jump onto Sasuke like she did. Didn't she know that she was just making Sasuke get more annoyed at her by jumping on him? Ino really needed to try something else if she ever wanted to get some kind of attention from Sasuke.

_'What a minute, what am I thinking? Why would I ever want Ino to get attention from Sasuke?'_Sakura wanted to pull her hair out at the thoughts she was having. _'Ok, so I've been with Sasuke long enough to know that he's a lot different then what I thought he was at the academy. That shouldn't change anything though! I still have feelings for him…right?'_She didn't want to continue those thoughts. She loved Sasuke, she just knew it.

So instead of trying to figure out where those weird thoughts were coming from, or hearing Naruto fight with Shikamaru, she looked through the crowds to see if she knew anyone else taking these exams. Off to the side of the room, Sakura saw something white moving.

_'Is that Akamaru?'_Sure enough, it was Akamaru sitting on top of Kiba's head, wagging his tail at her. _'Aw! Look how cute he is. I've missed seeing him.'_Sakura gave a quick smile to the puppy and was thinking about going over there to say hi to Akamaru, and Kiba, when she saw that he and his team were already moving towards them.

Sakura looked at Kiba and then looked away, if what she thought was true, if Kiba really did like her then she really needed to talk him. Even though it would probably be very awkward and weird. It would probably be even worse if what she thought wasn't true, she would probably never live down the humiliation.

Sakura for once was happy that Ino opened her big mouth; it got Sakura to forget for a moment her thoughts about Kiba. She turned back around to glare at Ino for saying something about her forehead. She got it already, she had a big forehead. She didn't need to be reminded of it every day!

With the start of the exams, Kiba and his team made their way to the third floor while everyone else fell for the stupid genjutsu that some two Chunin put up. Hinata was able to detect it and warn them about it and Kiba was able to smell the transformation that the two Chunin were using. He however, didn't smell any sign of Sakura.

Kiba and his team were the first one of the rookie nine to enter the room. Each of them could tell that they had some tough competition and they decided to go off to the side to talk and watch their opponents. It was better for them to remain low and try and see if they could find some weak points in the enemy. After a few minutes they saw Ino and her team enter. The room began to fill up after that and it seemed that no one else was going to enter.

Kiba gave a heavy sigh as he looked at the door. _'Guess Sakura isn't coming. Man, the only real reason why I came to this stupid thing was because I thought it would be the perfect way to see Sakura again. I thought for sure that her two teammates would come.'_Kiba gave another sigh, looking at the door one final time, hoping that Sakura would walk in with a bright smile on her face and come running over to him, saying how much she missed him and beg him to help her get away from Sasuke. Of course that would be too good for him.

When he was sure that the door wasn't going to open again he turned his attention back to his teammates who were keeping to themselves. He started talking about what they would probably have to go through taking this exam; his sister had given him some tips about what the exam usually holds. While he was explaining his sister said, Kiba and everyone else in the room heard the door open, and turned to look at who opened the door.

The moment the door opened, Kiba's nose was filled with her scent. He couldn't help but allow the happy grin to appear on his face when he saw Sakura, and her team, enter the room. _'Yes! All right! She did come. It may be late, but Sakura came! Yes, now's my chance to show her how much stronger I've gotten since I became a ninja.' Kiba_ grinned thinking about how he was going to show off to Sakura and how she would be so impressed with him, she would forget all about Sasuke and be into him. He turned back to his team and talked about how they had to fight hard and prove that they were better team.

As Kiba was talking he unconsciously sniffed the air and found Sakura's scent. He inhaled deeply and sighed to himself as he breathed in her scent. No matter where he was or what he was doing, Sakura's scent always seemed to calm him down. Kiba stopped talking and listened to what Shino was explaining to Hinata when he felt Akamaru's tail start wagging, he was getting a whiff of Sakura's scent as well and he liked it.

Out of the corner of his eye Kiba could see that Sakura was standing just before the door and she looked nervous. Who could blame her, everyone in the room was looking at her team, and none of the looks were friendly ones. That made him growl, how dare anyone look at Sakura like that. Scaring her to the point where she wanted to run and hide, he could smell her fear and he hated it. Kiba, not wanting her to be so scared, decided that he would go over there and make her feel better.

Kiba moved to turn his body in Sakura's direction when he heard a loud shriek. He and his team, as well as everyone else, heard Ino's loud voice when she jumped onto Sasuke. Next came Sakura's voice, but her voice was filled with anger, she was upset that Ino was hugging Sasuke. That anger made Kiba himself get angry.

_'Come on! She still likes him? Why can't she see that Sasuke is just some stupid jerk who will never ever have any type of feelings!'_Kiba wanted to growl as he watched the fight take place between Ino and Sakura. He was ready to run over there and start a fight himself when he caught another whiff of Sakura's scent. She was confused. About what he wasn't sure, but he would find out.

Suddenly Sakura's eyes were in his direction and she seemed to have a smile on her face. That one smile made Kiba's heart beat ten times faster then it was before. He finally had her attention on him! _'This is great! It means that she's happy I'm here. Which could only mean one thing...Sakura is finally starting to have feelings for me!'_Kiba wanted to jump with joy at the thoughts. Them being apart for so long made her miss him, which made her think about him, which made her start to develop feelings for him.

_'This is great. Now to go over there and show that I'm strong and ready to fight for her.'_Kiba turned to his two teammates, saying that they should join the group. Shino and Hinata agreed and they moved to the other two rookie teams. With each step, Kiba could feel his heart rate increase.

_'Just be cool. I gotta calm down before I start acting like an idiot and scare Sakura away.'_Kiba took in a deep breathe and put on his game face, trying to show that he was both cool and strong.

"Well well, what do you know? It looks like the whole gang is back together again." Kiba had on a confident smirk, hands in his pockets, happy that he was closer to Sakura. He caught a strong whiff of her scent and had to stop the happy grin that wanted to overtake his face. Somehow her scent changed a little from the last time he saw her, but he didn't care, it only made her smell even greater.

"Oh, hi Naruto." He heard Hinata greet Naruto and wanted to sigh. He could smell the love she had for the hyper ninja, wondering what it was that she saw in him.

"You guys to, huh? Man, everyone's here for this stupid thing." Shikamaru was bored as ever and that annoyed Kiba, and many others. What was a drag for Shikamaru was an opportunity for Kiba. That opportunity was to win over Sakura's heart.

"Yep, here we all are. The nine rookies." Kiba gave a laugh at the stupid nickname people were giving them. It didn't matter that he was a rookie, Kiba was still strong. "This is gonna be fun. At least for those of us good enough to make the cut, right Sasuke." He looked directly at the Uchiha, challenging him. If Kiba ever got the opportunity to fight him, he was going to give it his all and destroy him.

"Kiba. Careful you don't get over confident." The way he talked even annoyed Kiba. Of course he was confident, he was strong and he would beat Sasuke, proving to Sakura that he was the best and that she should love him.

"Just wait. We're gonna blow you guys away. We've been training like crazy." He told them all, of course he meant everyone but Sakura. He knew there was a chance that he might have to fight her, but if that did happen, he wouldn't go all out. He would fight enough that he could win without hurting her. He gave a quick glance her way and was once again happy that her attention was all on him. Oh yeah, this Chunin exam was starting to look good for him.

Sakura was now very confused on what had just happened. It sounded just like Kiba had challenged Sasuke and she wasn't upset or annoyed with him. She's seen so many guys challenge Sasuke back when they were at the academy and she always got annoyed. She hated that they thought they could beat him or tried to put him down, but she wasn't mad with Kiba. It was weird since she always got mad at one who talked to Sasuke that way.

_'Well, maybe not always.'_ Sakura thought with a blush as her mind began to wander. She remembered that whenever Kiba challenged Sasuke, like he did just now, she didn't get as mad as she usually does with the others. She had always thought it was because he was her friend, but now she wasn't to sure.

They arguing between the rookies stopped when the proctor for the first exam showed up and explained that they had to take a written exam. Everyone shut up after that and took the exam, and after some difficult stuff they passed the first exam and were ready for the next one. That's when the second proctor showed up by coming through the window and announced that they had to meet up at a training ground the next day.

They did as they were told and met up at the forest of death where they got these release forms and stuff. They had to read it and then sign it.

Sakura got her form and left her group to sit down under a tree and read quietly. But once she sat down her mind began to spin with questions about herself, Sasuke, and Kiba. She was so confused that she gave up on reading and just stared off into space.

_'Urgh. I don't remember ever being this confused before.'_ She thought to herself as she looked up at the sky. _'Wait. That's not true. I remember being this confused once. Back when I was still a kid and Kiba had just stopped being friends with me.'_ Sakura looked away from the sky and back down at the ground. _'That's right, we were playing a game and something happened between Kiba and I.'_Sakura's mind began to take a trip down memory lane.

/Flashback/

_It was a clear day and all the young academy students were out in a field training and working hard to be ninjas. This was normal for the students and they were all having a great time. For their training they were playing a game like hide and go seek, except with this game it was hide and hunt down the enemy. They were broken up into two groups, the enemy group and the hunting ninja group. To win the game you had to get a ribbon that the other team had. The enemy team had red ribbons and the ninja team had white. There was a time limit and whoever had the most players won._

_Sakura was on the enemy team, wearing both her regular red ribbon and her game one on her head, was hiding behind a bush from three people on the opposite team. She knew that she would be caught since one of those three people was Ino and she always found Sakura when the played games like this._

_Ino, who saw something red out of the corner of her eye, turned her head to Sakura and smiled. "Hey I see one." She called to the two people that she was with. They all turned and went with Ino who was walking closer and closer to Sakura._

_She was ready to run when her shirt got stuck in the bush. 'Oh no! I'm trapped. I have to get away! I told Ino that I wouldn't lose to her anymore.' Sakura tried to pull herself free but soon gave up when she heard Ino and the two other girls looking through the bush. 'Looks like Ino will get me again.' Sakura thought sadly as she waited to be found, when suddenly a hand came out and pulled Sakura free. She turned her head to see Kiba behind her holding a red bird. He put a finger to his mouth as to say be quiet. She did and waited for him to do whatever he was going to do._

_Once Kiba saw that Sakura wasn't going to make a sound he realized the red bird in his hands, right at Ino and her group. They moved out of its way and looked around before leaving. "Guess it was just the bird I saw. Sorry guys." Ino apologized to the two and they all left._

_Kiba suck his nose in the air and began to smell for their scents. Akamaru wasn't with him because their sensei said it was an unfair advantage and because it would be too easy to spot him. When he knew that they were far away he grabbed Sakura by her hand and help pulled her out of the bush._

_"Thank you, Kiba." Sakura thanked him and started pulling leaves and twigs out of her hair. She hadn't realized how dirty she had gotten during the game._

_"Yeah, no problem." Kiba replied putting his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. When a moment passed he turned fully away from her and started to walk away._

_"Kiba!" He stopped walking and turned his head around to face her._

_"Well...um...why'd did you help me? You're on the opposite team so I'm your enemy?" She asked him looking down at the ground. She was nervous and Kiba could tell. "Besides...I thought you wanted to stop being friends with me, so I figured that you don't even like me." She added playing with her ribbon. "I thought you hated me." She added quietly, like she hoped he wouldn't hear her._

_Kiba after hearing her words sighed and turned back around and walked up to Sakura. "It's not what you think. I don't hate you."_

_So then why...?" Kiba stopped her before she could finish her question._

_"I just need to do what I'm doing now for a little while longer. I know that I'm not making much sense now, but I swear Sakura, that someday I'll tell you why I'm acting this way. I'll tell you everything." He told her with his cheeks turning a light shade of pink._

_Sakura took a moment to take in and think about what he just said to her before replying. "Ok." It was simple and sweet and Kiba smiled at her._

_"Ok then...well see ya...!" Kiba stopped mid-sentence when he felt Sakura's hand in his hair. He could feel his face heat up. When her hand left he looked directly at her to see her smiling and holding a leaf in her hand._

_"Sorry about that, but there was a leaf in you hair." Sakura explained showing him the leaf. She was smiling brightly and her cheeks were a light pink and she looked and was really happy for some reason._

_Kiba could feel his face heat up again as he looked at Sakura's smiling face. He was actually thinking about telling her everything now but he knew that he shouldn't._

_"Yeah well...see ya!" With that said he took off in a run back to the field where the teachers were. He knew that he must have looked really stupid to Sakura, but it was all he could do at this point._

_Sakura watched Kiba sprint off to the field and she stood their watching his form disappear. She gave a little sweat drop when he heard him trip over a branch and then get back up again._

_'I wonder what Kiba means by he'll tell me everything. Before he would always play with me, now he doesn't even come near me but he says he doesn't hate me. I'm confused.' She tried to think of what Kiba might tell her but no thoughts were coming to mind. 'I guess I'll just have to wait until he tells me.' With that thought, she headed to where her sensei was._

**X**

"You know if you keep staring off into space like that, you're going to miss your chance for the second part of the exam." A voice brought Sakura out of her flashback; she looked up to see Kiba looking down at her smirking. His hands were behind his back and Akamaru was right with him but the little puppy left to curl up besides Sakura.

_'This…is exactly like the moment of how we became friends'_ Sakura realized as she started petting Akamaru who was very happy with the attention he was getting.

"So what are you thinking about that's got your full attention?" Kiba crouched down to eye level facing Sakura.

"Just thinking about some stuff from the past." She answered him still petting Akamaru.

"Like what?" Kiba wanted to know what she was thinking about. Before he kept calling her name and waving to her. It took him a few good minutes before he realized that her mind was off somewhere else.

Sakura hesitated before answering. "That time when we were still back in the academy and we were playing hide and catch the enemy. Do you remember that? You helped me out even though you were on the other team." She answered him.

Kiba's cheeks felt like they were burning up as he thought about the memory. He remembered that day. It was just a few days after he stopped hanging around with Sakura. He saw her a few times that day, but he could never bring himself to catch her. And when he saw that Ino was about to get her, he just had to help her. He couldn't watch her get caught by Ino, he knew it would kill her if that happened.

"You told me that you would one day tell me why you stopped hanging out with me." Sakura looked at him with a small smile. "So is that day today? Are you going to tell me why?"

Kiba could feel his heart beat quicken at the thought. Sure he had always planned on telling her, but not like this. Not when they were about to take an important quiz that could take away their lives.

_'I can't tell her. If I tell her, she'll only think about that instead of the quiz and then who knows what'll happen to her. I gotta make up something and quick.'_Kiba told himself trying to think of anything that he could say that would help her understand that he couldn't tell her yet. He finally thought of something but wished that he hadn't.

"Why should I tell you anything?" He quick stood up with Akamaru back on his head and he crossed his arms. He turned his back to Sakura. "Yeah, I might have told you before but not now. I mean we're enemies now! And this isn't some stupid game. We could very well lose our lives during this thing, and there's no way that I'm going to have a guilty conscience when I become a Chunin!" He wanted to kick himself at how horrible he sounded. He didn't mean for him to sound so cruel but it was all he could think of on short notice. He could only hope that Sakura wouldn't be to mad at him.

Sakura just sat there with her mouth wide open and her eyes staring right at Kiba. You could easily see in her eyes that what he said hurt her. But he also pissed her off. She stood up behind Kiba and like him crossed her arms and turned her back on him.

"Well excuse me for asking a simple question. You know what, you're right. This isn't some stupid game, and we should only be thinking about this test and nothing else. Thank you for clearing that up for me, Ki-ba!" Sakura walked away from him. She was angry and amazed that she didn't hit him.

_'What's his problem? What'd I ever do him to ever desire that kind of treatment? Well if that's the way he wants to be, fine! See if I care.'_ Sakura walked back to her team not trying to hide the fact that she was angry. The other ninjas may have scared her at the start of the exams, but now they were all scared of her and the deadly look she had in her eyes. She was pissed off and everyone knew it.

Kiba quickly turned around and watched Sakura walk away from him and back to her team. He couldn't believe himself. He wanted to win her over and impress her, not piss her off and break her heart. He gave a low annoyed growl before turning and punched a tree. His hand began to bleed from the pressure placed on it.

_'Damnit! Why do things always end up like this?'_Kiba growled thinking about what she said to him. He cringed remembering the way she said his name full of anger and annoyance. He sighed to himself and looked up at Akamaru who was whining trying to make him feel better.

"Thanks buddy." Kiba petted the puppy and walked back to his team as well. He knew that the next time he saw Sakura he would apologize and hopefully explain why he was so mean to her today and everything else.


	6. Fighting and Feelings

Chapter 6: Fighting and Feelings

Sakura wanted to scream. She wanted to punch something or rather someone, she couldn't believe Kiba said that to her. She asked him a simple question and he goes and practically yells in her face. How dare he treat her that way!

_'He better hope that we don't run into each other on this test. I swear if we do I'll make sure to take his scroll and give him a piece of my mind.'_Sakura began thinking of all kinds of torture she would put Kiba through is she saw him on this test. Her arms were crossed as she walked to where Naruto and Sasuke were, her eyes glaring at anything that was in front of her.

"Hey Sakura, where'd ya go?" Naruto asked. He either couldn't tell that she was upset or just didn't care.

"Nowhere." She simply answered stopping in front of both of them. She just stared right pasted them and glared. _'I swear next time I see him, I'll hit him so hard he'll forget that he's even human! Cha!'_

Both boys turned to look at each other before turning back to Sakura.

"Sakura, are you ok?" Naruto bravely asked her. He knew that when she was mad she hits and he didn't want to suffer any damage before they took a life threatening test.

"I'm fine. Come on; let's just get this over with." She grabbed both by their arms and dragged them over to the registration booth.

"You sure you're ok?" Sasuke asked her this time.

"I told you before that I'm fine. Just drop it already." She snapped. She didn't care if it was Sasuke that was talking to her, she was just so mad she was ready to hit the proctor if they came over.

Sasuke not expecting that kind of reaction did what she said and dropped it. He wouldn't admit it but he was worried about Sakura and why she was so upset. It wasn't like her to be this upset over something.

Meanwhile Naruto was trying hard not to burst out in laughter. After hearing Sakura saying how much she loved Sasuke and then snapping at him like that, he was wishing that he had, had his camera with him to record it. But even though he enjoyed Sakura snapping at Sasuke like that he was worried about her as well. He had never seen her this upset before and was worried about who or what caused it.

Getting out of her grip Naruto turned his head to speak to Sasuke, so only he would hear him. "What do you think Sakura is so mad at?" He asked, looking back at his female teammate to see if she heard him. So far it didn't look like she did.

"Who knows," Sasuke just shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "If something happened then she would've told us if she wanted us to know. Since she hasn't said anything then we should just drop it and concentrate on the exam." Sasuke replied. He too got out of Sakura's grip and was now walking behind her.

"Man you don't care about anything other then yourself, do you?" Naruto told him turning away. He didn't want to talk with him anymore, he almost forgot how annoying Sasuke could be.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered mostly to himself but Naruto still heard him and was mad.

"Hey! What'd you call me!"

While those two were busy auguring Sakura was completely ignoring them. She was to busy thinking about what had just happened with her and Kiba.

_'He's such a jerk. Just what the heck did I ever do to him to make him hate me so much? He's the one who stopped being friends with me. So he has no right to treat me like I'm some traitor or something.'_ Sakura thought. She was so mad at Kiba that she knew that if she didn't calm down soon then she would be in big trouble on the test. Not only her but also her teammates as well. Taking in a deep breath she calmed herself down and thought back to the conversation that she just had. _'I still don't understand why he was so mean to me. I only asked him a question about the past and he even said that he would tell me it too. Then again he said when he was ready to. Maybe he wasn't ready yet or maybe he wants to focus on the test now and then he'll tell me.'_Sakura thought this and sighed. _'I hate to admit it but he's right. The only thing I should do is focus on the test rather then.'_She told herself feeling better a little better now.

"Guys knock it off." Sakura turned around and smiled at her two teammates. "We don't want the other teams to see us fighting. They'll all think that we'll be easy targets and we don't need all these teams attacking us." She said turning back around and walked towards the registration booth.

Naruto and Sasuke just stood there and watched as Sakura began to walk away. They were extremely confused. One minute she was so pissed they thought she would kill them, and now she was suddenly calm.

"Hey Sasuke?" Naruto called.

"Yeah?" Sasuke called back.

"You got any idea what up with Sakura today?" He asked.

"Nope. Not a clue." Sasuke answered putting his hands in his pockets.

"Thought so." Naruto said. He and Sasuke walked ahead to catch up with Sakura. They were worried about her and wondered what could've made her go from angry too happy in just a few minutes.

* * *

/With Kiba/

After Sakura left him, he walked back to where his teammates were and was now sulking under a tree growling at himself. He kept replaying his pervious conversation with Sakura in his head and every time he did, it just made him want to bang his head against the tree. How could he be so stupid!

_'Damn it! What is wrong with me? I yelled at her just because she was curious about me. I even told her in the past that I would tell her my reason, and then when the perfect opportunity comes I go and blow it.'_ Kiba let out a heavy sigh and continued to sulk. _'Now Sakura probably hates me for yelling at her.'_He really did not like this situation.

"Um…Ki-Kiba, a-are you…uh…"

"Huh?" He looked up from his sulk to stare at Hinata, "What's up? You say something, Hinata?" Was it time for them to start the second part of the test already?

"Well…um…you see…" Hinata stuttered and began to twitch and play with her fingers. "Shino and I…we were wondering if-if something was wrong? You seem…well…very depressed." She told him.

Kiba now understood what was going on. His teammates were worried about him because of how he was acting. Happy that they cared, he gave a small smile. "You guys don't have to worry. I'm fine. I just messed something up that's all." He said calmly on the outside. But on the inside he was still depressed. _'Yeah, I messed up alright. I messed up probably one of my only chances to be alone with Sakura and tell her my feelings when she's__not__thinking about Sasuke.'_

"Just what did you mess up, Kiba?" Shino asked coming up to stand besides Hinata. "Does it have something to do with the Chunin exams?"

"No, it wasn't that." He put on a fake grin. "Look it doesn't matter, so let's just drop it." Kiba said standing up. He was about to walk away when Shino's next question stopped him in his tracks.

"By something else, do you mean that it has something to do with Sakura?" Kiba just stood there, frozen in his spot by Shino's words. How he figured out his feelings for Sakura, he'll never know. Feeling the muscles moving in his body again, Kiba turned back around to face his teammates. You couldn't see it but he had a faint blush on his cheeks.

"S-Sakura? Nah! No way? Why would anything I do have to do with Sakura?" He tried to convince them but it looked like they weren't buying it. Heck, he wouldn't haven't bought it. He sucked at lying when it came to his feelings for Sakura. He didn't like keeping them in, he wanted the whole village to know about his feelings for her, so it made it hard for him to lie about them.

"B-but Kiba weren't you and S-Sakura good friends back when we were at the academy?" Hinata asked. She clearly remembered seeing two playing together when they were kids.

"Yes they were. From what I remember they were very close friends, but Kiba stopped hanging around her once Sakura and Ino started their rivalry with each other over Sasuke." Shino fixed his sunglass, turning his head to face Hinata. "Doesn't it seem a little odd that Kiba just happened to stop being friends with Sakura after learning that she liked Sasuke?" Shino looked back at Kiba, who was no longer looking at them. He kept his gaze off to the side, watching the other teams. His gaze moved from team to team until he found Sakura again, holding hands with both Sasuke and Naruto. Watching that action made him give a low possessive growl.

Hinata took a minute to think before she gasped and looked at Kiba. "K-Kiba? Did you…are you still…"

Knowing that he couldn't hide it anymore he sighed in defeat and told them. "Yeah. I liked Sakura or rather I still like her. After I learned that she liked Sasuke it hurt too much to be around her so I stopped being friends with her." He finally moved his gaze back to his teammates when he saw that Sakura was no longer holding the hands of her two male teammates.

"So this thing that you messed up on today, I assume that it has something to do with Sakura?" Shino asked him. He knew that if Kiba's mind was somewhere else during the test then it wouldn't be a good thing for him or for their team.

"Yeah. We were talking and she asked me something and I yelled at her for it." He told them remembering what had just happened.

"Wh-what did s-she ask?" Hinata wondered.

Sighing again he told them. "She asked me why I stopped being friends with her and stuff. I didn't mean to yell but a part of me was worried that if I told her then her thoughts would be on that and instead of the test." Kiba looked down at the ground, even if his actions were to help Sakura, it only made her hate him.

"And the other part?" Shino urged Kiba to continue. He knew there was more the Inuzuka wanted and/or needed to say.

Kiba grunt but continued. "The other part was afraid to tell her because I knew that I would be rejected because she's in love with Sasuke." After listening to himself he realized that he was a jerk to Sakura and now she'll probably never speak to him again. After all she could hold a grudge, her and Ino were still fighting.

"I-I'm s-sorry about that K-Kiba." Hinata said trying to make him feel better.

He just gave a tired smile at his friends. "Thanks, but you don't need to say sorry Hinata. I yelled at her and I messed up that's all there is to it." Kiba said.

"Maybe not." Shino spoke up. "People's feelings and emotions change like the weather. It can be cold and fierce winter and then turn into a calm and peaceful summer."

Kiba had no idea what Shino just said. "Dude, I got no idea what you just said right now, but it somehow helped. Thanks. Both of you." He thanked both of his teammates. He still felt a little said but now he wasn't going to give up. The next time he saw Sakura he would apologize to her and hopefully try to explain everything to her.

* * *

The Chunin exams soon started and every team was ready. They were prepared for the worst and ready to fight. Team seven especially, they weren't going to lose, they planned to win this thing. But once the test started an enemy they never expected showed up and fought against the three genin. The enemy was Orochimaru and he made the test living hell for the three, knocking out Naruto, putting a cursed mark on Sasuke, and sending three assassins to finish the job. Naruto and Sasuke were still out of it so Sakura fought them off with everything she had. She even cut off her hair to save them, and when things looked bed Rock Lee and even Ino and her squad showed up to help out.

That's when things got weird, Sasuke woke up but he had an evil aura around him and he didn't seem like himself. To Sakura he seemed more like Orochimaru and that scared her. Sakura, who would always agree to loving Sasuke, was afraid of him at that very moment. She knew that she had to stop him and she did, she was afraid but she couldn't allow Sasuke to go on and act like that snake.

Things sort of clamed down after that, everyone went on their own way to get a scroll. Squad seven was no different; they waited for their wounds to heal and then went out to get the scroll that they needed. They almost didn't get it but with the help of Kabuto they got their scroll and finished the test. They entered the tower and went on to the third part of the exam.

"It is time everyone!" The Third Hokage, Sarutobi, announced to everyone in the room. They all gathered into rows of their teams. Just as he was about to open his mouth again the final team walked through the doors. "Glad to see that you could make it, Squad Seven." Everyone turned around to see Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke walk through the doors.

"Ah! Sasuke!" Ino called and waved at him. She was so happy that Sasuke was there.

"N-Naruto's here too." Hinata said to herself. She blushed looking at Naruto who was wearing his usual grin.

Squad seven took their place and waited to see what happened next. Once in place Sakura looked around to see that not only was Ino and her team here but Kiba's too. _'I'm glad they all made it.'_She looked around some more and saw that the sound ninja team was there as well. _'I just wish that they weren't here.'_ Sakura mind was replaying everything that happened with the sound-nin and knew if she had to fight them again, she would be in a lot of trouble. She doubted she would be able t handle them a second time.

As Sakura was turning away from the sound ninjas, out of the corner of her eye she could've sworn she saw Kiba looking at her. And she was right. The minute Sakura walked through the door with her team; Kiba couldn't take his eyes off her.

_'Yes! All right, Sakura made it! Not only that but she cut her hair too. I wonder why? It doesn't matter, she looks much better with it short.'_Kiba couldn't help but grin when he saw Sakura' short pink locks, he loved her hair short. It just made her look a lot cuter and Kiba couldn't help but want to run his hands through her hair.

While he was watching Sakura he caught of whiff of her scent and frowned. _'What happened to her out there? Her scent is so weak, like she just went through hell and back. She, and even the rest of her team, all of them look ready to faint.'_ Kiba was worried about the next part of the exams. He could only hope it wouldn't be too much on Sakura, even from this distance he saw that she needed time to rest.

But even with that in mind, he still wanted to know what made her cut her hair? Was it because of Sasuke, or was there another reason? _'I'll ask her later, after I win this thing of course. Once I win this and become a Chunin, I'll take Sakura in my arms and tell everything. I'll show her that she can forget all about Sasuke and that I'm the perfect guy for her.'_ Kiba told himself. He was fired up and couldn't wait for the third part of the exam.

"I'm glad to see that you're all alright and here. I must admit that I'm surprised to see most of you but I'm still glad nonetheless." The third Hokage spoke up. He then began to explain about the Chunin exams and why they held them. After that the proctor Hayate Gekko stepped in and explained how the third exam worked. He told them about the preliminaries and things began to pick up there.

Sasuke was the first to fight and he won his fight, but passed out once it was over. Sakura and Ino were worried about Sasuke while Kiba could've cared less.

_'Even when this guy loses he still gets Sakura's attention. When is she gonna see that he's nothing more then a stupid jerk who faints after a little fight like that?'_ He thought glaring down at Sasuke, who was being taken away by the medical team. _'He's just lucky that I didn't fight him. He would've done more then fainted after I was done with him.'_ Kiba thought evilly thinking of all attacks he would use on Sasuke. How he would beat him to a pulp with Sakura cheering for him the whole time.

"Arf arf." Akamaru started speaking to Kiba. He was telling him that something was different with Sasuke's chakra. Sniffing the air Kiba's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah you're right. There is something different. Something darker." Kiba looked at Sasuke and then at Naruto and Sakura. "Just what happened during this test anyways?" He wondered out loud, both Hinata and Shino heard him.

"Something wrong, Kiba?" Shino asked. He kept his hands in his pockets, but Kiba could tell by his voice that he was tense about something.

"Yeah, did you guys pick up anything on Sasuke's chakra? The feeling it was giving off, it feels…dark." He asked looking back down at Sasuke who was leaving the room Kakashi by his side.

"Now that you mention it…" Hinata agreed looking down at Sasuke also. When she was watching him fight and when he used his chakra she felt fear. She felt dark energy in the room and she didn't understand why.

"Yes. My bugs were making a fuss over it but I can't tell why. I know that it has something to do with his chakra." Shino told them.

"J-just what d-do you think happened t-to him that made him this way?" Hinata asked them both. They both shook their heads, saying they had no clue what could have happened.

"Well whatever happened…" Out of the corner of his eye he looked at Naruto and then Sakura. "I just hope that nothing else does." He muttered loud enough for only himself and Akamaru could hear.

With that fight gone, the preliminaries continued on. Shino went on after Sasuke, one of the sand ninjas came after that and soon the fourth round came and it surprised almost everyone.

_Sakura Haruno_

_Vs._

_Ino Yamanaka_

Everyone who knew the two girls couldn't believe their eyes. They didn't know whether to expect a good fight or a little slap fight. Sakura and Ino were wondering the same thing, what kind of a fight would they have? And more importantly, who would win? Both girls stepped in the ring and you could almost see that the tension in the air.

"Of all the girls Ino had to fight it would have to be Sakura, what a mess." Shikamaru sighed looking down at his teammate.

"I know, I hope Ino will be ok." Choji agreed with him. Both he and Shikamaru knew of their once strong friendship and they wondered what could happen in this fight.

Kiba was no different, he was wondering about the fight as well. He heard what Shikamaru and Choji said and he had to agree. Of all the people to fight against one another it would have to been them. _'This doesn't look good. Ino was always stronger then Sakura back at the academy, I'm sure Sakura has gotten stronger from training with Kakashi, but still…'_ Kiba looked down at Sakura and wanted so badly to run down there and help her. He knew that she had a strong spirit but still he felt protective her now because he had no idea what could happen. _'Can she even bring herself to fight Ino?_' He looked at both girls, desperately wanting to trade places with Sakura so she wouldn't have to go through with this.

"Begin." Hayate gave the signal and both girls attacked. But it was nothing special they were either throwing each other's punches or throwing kunai that they could easily dodge. Things picked up a little soon after, Ino punched Sakura in the stomach, making her bend over because of the pain.

"There!" Ino went in to punch her but a flash back of a five year old Sakura smiling at her came into Ino's head. She gasped at the image and ended up slapping Sakura across the face instead of punching her. Everyone gasp at the hit and Ino looked down at her hand in shame.

Sakura couldn't believe what Ino just did. She had her. She could've punched her and then finished her off. Why did she stop? Why didn't she hit her? Sakura wanted to know but couldn't figure out why. Then seeing the look in Ino's eyes told her something and she had a flashback to when they were kids and had to make a flower arrangement.

Sakura straightened up, hands turning into fists as she got herself ready. "Alright, listen up Ino." Her voice was full, she wasn't hesitating anymore. "I'm not going to fight with you over Sasuke." She wouldn't fight this battle over him. This battle was to important for a reason like that.

"What did you say?" Ino asked, she was upset at Sakura for even saying that.

"I'm not the weak needy girl I use to be. You're not even on my radar and you're not Sasuke's type, Ino-pig!" She knew what she was doing, it may have sounded mean, like she was total snob but Sakura needed to get Ino mad so they could have a real fight.

Ino's eyes glared into hers. She was angry. "Sakura! You better watch your step. You have any idea who you're mouthing off too?" Ino wouldn't let her talk to her like that. "Don't press your luck with me, little billboard-brow!" She was ready for the fight now and that's what Sakura wanted.

Kiba was watching from the stands and was amazed by Sakura's scent. It was becoming full and powerful. She was standing up to Ino with such pride and strength that he felt like screaming._'Amazing. Sakura's getting stronger within the course of this match. She's fighting Ino like an Alpha.'_He liked how this was going, how Sakura was behaving.

Sakura stared at her old best friend and remembered a day when Ino gave her, her dream. The day of the flower arrangement, Ino helped Sakura do more then just pick flowers. It helped her realize what her goal really was. Not to win over Sasuke, but to show Ino that she was strong.

_'Ino, all along I've wanted to be like you, I've wanted to become a person that could be strong and fight as a true shinobi.'_ Sakura removed her leaf headband and wrapped it around her forehead._'But now it's time I surpassed you, it's time for me to be the best.'_ Sakura looked on at Ino, she would not lose.

Ino copied her action, putting her own headband around her forehead, "I understand, Sakura."

Both then got a serious look on their faces and attacked. But this time it was for real. They were fighting like real kunoichi. Everyone who knew the girls were amazed and impressed by how they were fighting now. The two aimed a punch for the others and hit head on, causing everyone to gasp at the power they were using. They all knew that the two kunoichis were serious now, but they still didn't know who would win this.

They continued their fighting, Sakura showing Ino and everyone just how good her chakra control was. She made three clones, all three running with burst of speed from her chakra until Sakura hit Ino with a chakra enhanced punch. "I'm not some crybaby anymore. You play with fire, and you're gonna get burned!" She called out; she would fight this battle with everything she had. "Let's see your best, Ino!"

"It's not like I need your invitation, you know." Ino wiped off the blood that spilled from her mouth after being hit. "I'll give you my best, but your not gonna like it." Ino stood up and the two girls went back to aim hits at the other.

_'I won't lose!'_ Sakura thought as she dodged some of Ino's punched. _'I can't lose. I swore that I wouldn't. I'm a kunoichi and I will fight like one, not like some little flower girl.'_ Sakura just managed to doge a kick to her head as she remembered those words. '_Flower girl?_Kiba said that to me once, the day of the flower arranging assignment.' Sakura's mind began to wonder as she thought back to that day.

/Flashback/

_Class had just ended and their sensei was putting their flowers all around the room. Ino stayed behind to help because she wanted the flowers to get enough sunlight and water. So that left Sakura to walk home alone._

"_Well if it isn't billboard brow." Ami and her friends walked up to Sakura. "Where's your little friend miss piggy? I want to tell her that just because she scared me with that fake poison flower doesn't mean that she's won." Ami placed her hands on her hips, trying to look tough._

"_S-she's with our sensei." Sakura told her looking down at the ground. She was afraid of what Ami might do to her. Without Ino, she was sure that Ami would do something to her._

"_So the little pig isn't around? Then there's no one to stop us from having fun, now is there billboard brow?" Ami smiled evil moving her hand to Sakura's head._

"_Actually there is, so back off. Now!" Sakura turned around and smiled. Kiba was walking up towards them and he didn't look happy. "I thought I told you guys before to stop picking on Sakura!" He had his arms crossed, with Akamaru growling at the three bullies. His face held a frown towards the girls. "Leave her alone."_

_Ami gave a scowl at Kiba but backed away when she heard him and his dog growl at her, this time louder._"_Whatever." Ami just scoffed and walked away, her two friends following after her. She hated how Sakura was always being protected by either Kiba or Ino, treating her like a little princess. Ami swore that one day she would get revenge on Sakura for that._

_Once gone Kiba turned around and smiled at Sakura. "You ok? Hope they didn't do anything to you before I got here." He uncrossed his arms and walked towards Sakura. Akamaru barked happily at Sakura, saying he was glad that she was ok._

"_No. I'm fine. They were picking on me before but Ino took care of it. Oh, and thank you for helping me." She thanked him with a smile. She knew that she was lucky to have good friends like Kiba and Ino and she was grateful to them both for always being with her._

"_No problem." Kiba told her. He was upset that they were picking on her before but was happy that she was ok now. "Want me to walk you home? You know just in case they decide to you know come back?"_

"_Sure." She agreed and they were off. They started talking about the day's events and that's when Sakura told him about the flower arrangement._

"_Wow, I can't think of a more boring assignment then that. I mean what's so great about flowers anyway?" He asked looking up at the sky. It was such a clear day that it seemed almost perfect to Kiba._

"_Well according to our sensei she says that they help out on mission like for poisons and medicine." Sakura explained to him remembering everything her sensei told her._

"_Yeah, but what else?" Kiba asked now looking at Sakura. He didn't see what made flowers so special. They couldn't be used as a weapon, only if you grind them up, and that takes to long._

"_Well...they're pretty." She answered the first thing that came to her mind. Kiba gave a little chuckle at that. "They look really nice put together, especially Ino's. Her bouquet was amazing and beautiful." She remembered how nice Ino's flowers looked together._

"_Well I'm sure that yours looked nice too." Kiba told her. He was sure that hers looked great too. After all Sakura was named after a cherry blossom so she should be good with flowers. That and because she was very cute in Kiba's mind, so anything she made had to be perfect._

_Sakura gave a sad shake of her head._ "_No. Mine wasn't anything special.. Actually I didn't know what to do so Ino helped me," Sakura remembered how plain her flowers looked. "Mine were nothing special." She looked down at the ground sadly._

_Kiba looked at Sakura and saw that she was really up by this and he wanted to cheer her up. "Well maybe Ino's were so special because she grew up around flowers, so she has more knowledge about stuff like that. Guess you could say she's almost like a flower girl." He told her with a sheepish grin._

"_Yeah, I guess you're right. Ino's a flower girl and I'm not." Sakura sighed. "I'm just a bud." She added, remembering what Ino had said to her before. Sakura was a bud that hadn't bloomed yet and Ino was a cosmos._

_Kiba and Sakura finally arrived at her house, she was just about to go in when Kiba's voice stopped her. "Yeah, you're right. You're not a flower girl, you're a kunoichi," He told her. "Ino may have her own special talent but I know for sure that you have your own as well," He held a bright smile on his face. "I'm sure what you mean by a bud, but I do know that someday you'll grow up to be one the best ninjas this village has. So yeah, I guess you'll grow from a bud into a great female ninja!" He grinned hoping that he was cheering her up. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Sakura would grow up to be a strong ninja. He would too and they would protect this village together._

_Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. No one, not even Ino has ever told her anything like that. She could feel tears of happiness in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. "Thank you, Kiba." She quickly kissed him on the cheek and went inside._

_Kiba who couldn't move just stood there outsides Sakura's door, with a red face and a happy grin. Once he got his feet moving again, he ran all the way home with a smile that said something good happened to him. "Yes!" He shouted once home and inside his room. He got a kiss from Sakura and he felt like he was on cloud nine._

/End flashback/

_'Yeah, that's right, I'm a kunoichi. Ino may have her own special talents but I have mine and I won't let her beat me.'_Sakura was now fired up. Ducking away from Ino she jumped out of the way and then moved and punched her right in between the eyes sending her flying. _'I will not give up.'_

"This isn't how this was supposed to go! How can you be evenly matched with me?" Ino couldn't understand it. How could Sakura have gotten this strong in such a short amount of time? She was supposed to be stronger then her. When did she change so much?

Up in the stands, the rest of leaf genin were wondering the same thing as Ino. When had Sakura gotten up to the leave as Ino? Kiba however wasn't thinking about that. _'Sakura really is amazing. She got so strong so fast, it's incredible. I've never seen her like this before. It's so…cool.'_Kiba gave a happy sigh as he watched the fight. He liked this new Sakura. He liked it a lot.

"Kiba," Shino called his attention away from the fight for a moment. "You're drooling." He pointed to the drool that was coming out of Kiba's open mouth.

Quickly wiping away the drool, Kiba just gave a sheepish thanks to Shino and turned his attention back to the fight. He didn't want to miss anything of Sakura; he was enjoying watching her fight. This was giving him another reason why Sakura was the perfect girl for him. She was cute, smart, sweet, and knows how to kick butt in a fight and still look cool and innocent while doing it.

"Kiba," Shino spoke up again. "You're drooling again."

Sakura gave a quick laugh at Ino's shouts. "I guess you're right Ino, your obsession with your looks and your hair can't be surpassed. I've been training to hard to worry about that stuff." She said to her, she knew she was stepping into dangerous territory but she had to do it. She wanted, needed, Ino to fight her with everything she has.

Ino looked on at Sakura before she released a growl of frustration and pulled out a kunai. "You're gonna pay for that. I've had enough of you making fun of me." In slow motion, Ino took the kunai and cut her hair from its ponytail, leaving only a small fraction of how long it used to be. She threw it to the ground and made a hand sign for the Mind Transfer Jutsu. Sakura saw this and believed she dodge it but instead she walked into a trap Ino laid for her with her hair and chakra. With her tapped, Ino entered her body, trying to make her surrender this match.

Ino/Sakura raised her hand to the proctor. "Now I, Sakura Haruno, would like to say that I withdra…"

"No! Sakura don't!" Naruto cried out to his teammate, hoping his voice would reach her and help her win.

"Man, that kid is just so annoying." Ino/Sakura complained as Naruto continued to shout.

"You worked so hard to get here, Sakura! Don't disgrace yourself by losing to that lame Ino girl!" Naruto shouted out, leaning over the railing. He didn't want Sakura to lose this match. He could see that it was important to her and if she lost like this, it would crush her.

_'Listen to him, Sakura. Break free of Ino's will. You can do it, I know you can,'_Kiba wanted nothing more then to shout with Naruto but something was holding him back. He didn't know what, but he couldn't find his voice. _'Show Ino and everyone here just how strong you really are!'_

Ino wanted to laugh. She couldn't believe what and idiot Naruto was. "Yell all you want but there's nothing you can do now." Ino muttered to herself. But just as the words left her mouth something inside her felt weird and her control on Sakura was beginning to slip.

'_Naruto's so annoying!'_ Sakura's voice appeared. She was coming back.

Ino gasped as she heard this. "Sakura? This can't be happening?" She tried to regain control but she couldn't. No one had ever broken control of this jutsu! It wasn't possible to do so.

'_Yeah, and he's right. I can't let Ino beat me.'_Sakura fought for control over her body. She wasn't about to let Ino win, she would not give up!

"What's wrong? Are you withdrawing? Well are you or not?" Hayate asked, he wasn't sure if he should call the match off yet or not. This whole battle was confusing him.

"Argh! No, I won't be withdrawing! Not today or any other day!" Sakura was back in control and she made sure that it was staying that way. She fought Ino inside of her and pushed her out of her body.

"Yeah! Alright sakura!" Naruto shouted.

_'Yes, she did it. She got Ino out of her.'_ Kiba couldn't help but smile as he sniffed the air and found that Sakura held only her own scent. Ino's scent was no longer mixed in with hers. He smiled at how strong she had gotten, they all knew about Ino's jutsu and knew that it was nearly impossible to escape from. He was glad that Sakura beat it.

Sakura was on her knees panting, trying to catch her breath and some of her strength back. _'Yes, I did it. I got Ino out of me. I really owe Naruto for calling out to me like that, and also…'_With a quick glance, she saw Kiba looking down at her. _'I owe Kiba too. I don't know how, but I know he helped me too.'_

Both girls stood up after the regained a little of their strength back. They were both totally drained and only had enough power in them for one last attack. So they went off, they each punch one another and sent them flying, knocking them both out.

"Since neither opponent is able to continue, by double knockout, no one gets through the fourth battle of the preliminary. This match is over." Hayate announced disappointing many who were enjoying this match.

Kakashi and Asuma both picked up their students and brought them back up to their teams. Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto, and Lee all gathered around Sakura and Ino. All trying to see if they were alright.

_'Sakura.'_ Kiba made a move to go join in, he was worried about her and wanted to see for himself that she was ok, but Shino's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"You shouldn't crowd around her. Let her rest and relax for a little while before you go to her." He told Kiba, it would be better for him to leave her alone for now and talk to her later. Besides, he knew there was a possibility that Sakura could still be mad at Kiba from before so it would be better to talk to her later.

Looking back one last time Kiba agreed and stayed where he was. He wanted to be with Sakura when she woke up but he would listen to Shino's words.

The next two matched came and went, with Temari beating Tenten and Shikamaru bating the sound-nin. Both Ino and Sakura had woken up by now, and Ino cheer on Shikamaru while Sakura thanked Naruto for helping her gets out of the jutsu.

_'Yeah sure, Naruto gets a thank you and I get nothing.'_ Kiba glared at the grinning Naruto, happy that Sakura thanked him. Kiba growled at the attention he was receiving from Sakura. 'Annoying little…huh?' Before he could finish his thoughts Kiba saw Sakura looking at him and monition for him to step back and talk to her. He nodded and stepped away from his team and went near Sakura.

"So...what's up?" He didn't know what else to say. He thought for sure that she would still be mad at him. So why did she want to talk to him. _'Don't tell me that she's going to yell at me_.' Kiba was now worried. He knew that he should have apologized by now but there wasn't any time, and he didn't want to distract her during her fight.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say sorry about getting mad before." She told him, placing her hands behind her back, smiling at Kiba.

"Wha…?" A look of shock and confusion appeared on Kiba's face. He didn't think that she would say that. "So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Don't get your hopes up to much. I'm still a little annoyed that you yelled at me." She turned to give him one of her famous smile that always made his heart skip a beat. "I know that you had your reasons why you yelled at me." She still wasn't quite sure why he yelled but she knew that he had to have a reason and for now knowing that was good enough. For now. "Well that's all I wanted to say. Good luck when your fight comes."

Kiba was confused now. She forgave him? How could she forgive him after he yelled at her like that? He couldn't figure it out but was happy nonetheless, he couldn't help but to allow a happy grin spread out onto his face. Sakura was no longer mad at him and it seemed that they got a little closer in the process of all this.

"Kiba? Why do you look so happy?" Sakura saw the grin and couldn't help but smile herself. She had a feeling that he was grinning because he was glad that she wasn't mad at him.

Kiba, not wanting to look stupid, immediately stopped grinning and tried to come up with an excuse for the grin. He couldn't. "I wasn't grinning. Just what would I have to grin about anyways? Looks like you took one too many blows to the head Sakura, you're seeing things now." Kiba crossed his arms and turned his head away so she couldn't see the blush on his face.

Even though Sakura couldn't see the blush, she could tell that he was lying. "What is the 'wittle' puppy happy that I forgave him?" She had to laugh at how weird she sounded talking to Kiba like that. She felt like she was talking to a little puppy that was still upset and worried over being scolded.

Kiba turned his head back around to look at Sakura. "No! The 'wittle' puppy is not happy because of that." He tried to argue. A blush was still on his face. Even though it felt weird being called a puppy, he liked how things were going with Sakura. It felt natural to talk with her like this.

Sakura could only smile and laugh. "Oh, come on Kiba. I can tell that you're lying so fuss up. You were upset because I was angry at you right?" She giggled at the Inuzuka.

Kiba blushed ten shades darker and couldn't look at Sakura. What was he supposed to say now? This wasn't the time or the place where he wanted to confess his feelings to her, and he didn't even know if there would be another test after this one. So for now, Kiba juts lied. "Yeah, whatever you say Sakura. As if I would get happy over something like that. You're crazy." He turned his back on her and crossed his arms. "I seriously think you need to lie down. All those blows to the head must have messed with your brain." He added pointing at his head, hoping she didn't hate him to bad after this.

She couldn't believe it, again! She just apologized to him for getting anger and forgave him and he has the nerve to taunt her. He was making fun of her after she told that that she forgave him! "Kiba…you're such a jerk!" She yelled at him and walked back to her team.

At the word jerk, Kiba could feel his heart break. _'Great, now she hates me and thinks I'm a jerk. Urgh! I don't want her to hate me, I want to win her over and saw her that I love her. Damn it!'_Sighing he walked back to his own team and watched the rest of

"It's time for the next match." Hayate announced, as the names appeared on the board.

_Naruto Uzumaki_

_Vs._

_Kiba Inuzuka_

"Yes! It's here! Its here at last! The moment I've been waiting for! Finally I get a chance to show what I got!" Naruto was extremely excited to finally fight. He was ready to go all out and win this thing.

"Look at that, it's us against the kid. Hey Akamaru, I think you and I just won the lottery." Kiba was smirking. He was hoping for a tougher opponent but he figured that Naruto was good enough. He could at least show Sakura his speed and how fast he would knock Naruto out. _'I'll show her that I'm strong and can protect her better then Sasuke. Once I win this match I'll apologize and take things one-step at a time. I will win Sakura over!'_With that thought he walked away and went down into the ring to get the match started.

"Good luck, Naruto. Do your best." Sakura knew that she was going to cheer for him through his match just like he did with her, but a part of her also wanted to cheer for Kiba. Even though she was still mad, a part of her wanted to cheer for him. Turning her head she saw Kiba walking down into the ring, Naruto following him from behind. 'You do your best too, Kiba.' With that thought she looked away and waited for the match to begin.


	7. Starting Over

Chapter 7: Starting Over

'_Ok this is it.'_ Kiba thought standing in front of Naruto. _'I'll show Sakura once and for all that I'm just as strong and cool as Sasuke is, heck I'm better then he is. Sure beating up on her teammate probably isn't the best way to_ _win a girl over, but oh well. It's not like I planned for this to happen.'_ He thought getting ready for his fight.

Naruto, over on his end of the ring was full of excitement. He was so ready to fight. "I've been waiting forever for this! Sorry Kiba, don't take it personally if I blow you away." He told him full of confidence.

Kiba got annoyed at Naruto. "Urgh! That's just what I was gonna say, only not so politely! Right Akamaru!" Akamaru barked agreeing with Kiba. _'Man, I really hate this kid.'_He couldn't to end this fight and make Naruto shut up. The match didn't even start yet and he was always giving Kiba a headache.

"Oh yeah, well talking easy. Let's see what you got to say at the end of the match." Naruto shouted back. He wanted this fight to start, he didn't like how Kiba was talking to him and he wanted him to shut up and to prove what a great Ninja he was.

"Little squirt." Kiba muttered putting Akamaru down.

"What a second, are you kidding me? What's the puppy doing here? He's just gonna get in the way!" Naruto yelled out at him, he didn't want anything interfering with his match.

"Deal with it! I never go into battle without Akamaru!" Kiba said with Akamaru barking with him.

"Come on. Isn't that against the rules or something?" Naruto asked pointing at Kiba and Akamaru. He didn't think it was fair for him to be fighting with Akamaru. Didn't that give Kiba an unfair advantage?

Hayate just looked at Naruto before replying. "No. Like Shino's bugs they are a part of him. He is within the rules!" He said turning away.

**X**

Looking down at Naruto and Kiba, Sakura had to sigh at Naruto's stupidity. "Jeez, doesn't Naruto know anything. Everybody knows that all Inuzuka fight with dogs." Sakura shook her head.

"You know how Naruto is Sakura. He's always ready for a fight even when he doesn't know anything about his opponent." Kakashi told her looking down at Naruto.

"Yeah, you're right. I swear he's gonna get himself killed one day because of that. I mean everyone knows that all Inuzuka's fight with dogs. That's why Akamaru is always with Kiba, and why Kiba can speak to Akamaru and other dogs. That and because of their animal instincts and other animal traits that it's so easy to know that Kiba and everyone else in his family would fight with a dog." Sakura stated showing off her knowledge of Kiba and his clan.

"Everyone or just you, Sakura?" Kakashi asked her with some amusement in his voice. "Iruka told me that you were one of his brightest students back in the academy but it seems that you know more about Kiba's clan then anyone else in your class." He told her. You could see that there was some amusement in his eyes. "In fact it would seem that you know more about Kiba's clan then you do about Sasuke's." Kakashi was enjoying himself right now.

Sakura froze instantly and her cheeks were glowing bright red from her blush. "I never said that."

"You didn't have too. It's obvious that you know much more about Kiba then you do about Sasuke, even though you say you love him." Yep Kakashi was enjoying himself and Sakura could tell.

"Well that's because I grew up with Kiba. I never really hung out with Sasuke when I was little. I was to shy." She told her sensei.

"To shy to hang out with Sasuke but not with Kiba?" He asked her. You could see an amused smile under his mask.

"Well…Kiba was…and I was…I was a weird kid ok!" She was getting both confused and annoyed. She didn't know why she was so shy to hang out with Sasuke but not with Kiba. She didn't understand why she always felt nervous and a bit lonely when she was with Sasuke, and with Kiba she felt happy and comfortable. Or maybe she did? "Let's just watch the fight ok?" She didn't want to talk about this anymore.

**X**

Hayate had just finished explaining to Naruto that Akamaru was within the rules and he could fight with Kiba. Naruto started dumbfounded at Hayate before turning back to Kiba.

"Whatever. Fine with me. I do my best work with a handicap." He said confidently. _'Man Kiba must really weak if he needs to fight with his little puppy. This is gonna be such an easy match!'_ He thought happily. He was gonna show everyone how strong he was and how fast he was gonna beat Kiba.

"Ha! We'll just see about that!" Kiba smirked. "Akamaru. You stay right here and leave this to me. I've got it." He told him standing up. Akamaru whined but understood.

Sakura looked down at the too and were worried. _'I hope Naruto will be alright. I know he's gotten a lot stronger but Kiba's strong too,_' she thought worried for her teammate. It was true that Naruto was stronger but who knows how much stronger Kiba had gotten since she last saw him. '_Well Kiba mostly fights with Akamaru so maybe it won't be so bad.'_ She tried to convince herself.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Sakura." Kakashi said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Naruto will be fine. After all he's the main reason why we survived in the land of waves, he did fight against Haku alone after Sasuke collapsed and I'm sure that he was a lot of help during the second part of the exam."

Sakura thought back to when they went to the land of waves were they met Zabuza and Haku and how Naruto and Sasuke were able to fight them both. And he even fought Orochimaru all by himself when Sasuke was too afraid to. _'Yeah, that's right. Naruto is strong and he can win. So what if Kiba's strong, he's still a stupid jerk.'_Sakura thought with some anger. She was still annoyed at Kiba for what he said to her before.

"Go on Naruto! You can't lose to this jerk!" She shouted down. She didn't care what Kiba said to her later on, he pissed her off and now she was fighting back.

'_Jerk? She's calling me a jerk?'_Kiba thought to himself. On the outside he looked confident and cool but on the inside he was a mess. _'Aw man! I had to go and piss Sakura off just before my match. Great, now she's hoping I'll lose. How am I going to impress her if she's mad at me and wants me to_ _lose? On top of that…'_ He turned his attention to Naruto, who looked happy that Sakura was cheering for him. _'I'm fighting her teammate. And it looks like she wants him to beat me. Great, if I win Sakura's gonna hate me, but if I lose then not only will she think that I'm weak but I'll never be able to live_ _it down!'_ Kiba wanted scream at this point. What was he supposed to do now? This whole situation was driving him insane. Does he forfeit the match or beat Naruto and just hope that Sakura doesn't hate him anymore then she already does.

Everyone who was watching the fight was talking amongst themselves. They were all saying the same thing, Naruto weak and he can't win. And Kiba is so lucky to have gotten an easy fight.

Kiba heard all this and smirked. He looked at Naruto for a quick second before calming down. _'Why am I worrying? It's true what they're all saying. Naruto's way too weak to win against me. I'm sure Sakura will understand when I beat him. But still I wonder how much stronger he's gotten since he_ _graduated?'_ Kiba wondered going down memory lane, thinking back to the academy and how Naruto failed to do the transformation jutsu. _'Ha! This is going to be over soon enough.'_Kiba thought before speaking over to Naruto.

"Look I feel sorry for you, so I'm gonna finish you off with one shot. K?" He told him making a fist. He would beat him with one attack and then talk with Sakura about why he's been acting this way. Once they leave, he'll ask her to come with him and then once they were totally alone, he would confess his feelings to her and ask her to be his girlfriend.

"Yeah? You think so? Well good luck trying to beat me." Naruto replied back. No way was he going to lose to Kiba. He could remember all the times Kiba had teased him because he couldn't do some of the jutus right, but Kiba wouldn't tease him anymore after he beat him.

'_Oh, I don't need luck kid.'_ Kiba thought just as Hayate called the match. Getting down on his knees to focus his chakra and use his jutsu.

'_Ninja art of Beat Mimicry. All Fours Jutsu!'_

Getting down on both his hands and knees Kiba activated his jutsu and stared Naruto down. To Naruto he seemed more like an animal then human right now. _'I'll take you down in one quick attack kid.'_

"Here I come." With that said Kiba ran at Naruto with amazing speed, and elbowed him right in the gut. He sent him flying backwards and unconscious.

Sakura gasped when she saw Naruto go flying and hit the floor. _'No, Naruto!'_She was worried about him. _'Maybe he's still weak from the battle with Orochimaru and those three grass-nin we faced before coming here.'_She thought, looking over Naruto, checking to see if he was alright and still conscious.

Kiba stood and smiled at himself. "This little guy is going to be out for a while. You can call the match." He said to the proctor, a little proud of himself. Sure he wanted a tougher opponent but he would just have to wait until the preliminaries were over to fight a real ninja.

'_I knew it would be easy but man that was way to easy. I barely used the full power of my jutsu.'_ Kiba smirked to himself. _'And I'm sure everyone saw that I wasn't using my full power, which means Sakura can't be mad at me and I was able to show her a little of my abilities.'_ He thought to himself stealing a quick look at Sakura. He thought she would be looking at him either glaring or impressed, but instead she was ignoring him and looking down at Naruto and she looked worried.

'_What? You gotta be kidding me! I just won the match and she's ignoring me! Come on! What does a guy have to do around here to get the attention of the girl he likes?'_ He wanted to scream. Why was it so hard to get Sakura's attention? What did he have to do? Dye his hair black and act like he hates everything good and pretty around him?

While Kiba was trying to think of why he couldn't keep her attention, Sakura looked back at Kakashi, trying to see if the battle was really over or not. Kakashi looked at her and smiled though his mask, making her smile as well. _'So that's it,'_ she thought back to when the first became a team and how Naruto said he wanted to become Hokage. 'I always made fun of his boasting. I thought he was crazy,' her mind flashed back to when they first fought Zabuza and how at first Naruto was scared but then he pulled himself together and fought hard. Him and Sasuke fighting with each other, and everything he did during the second part of Chunin exams.

"What? No way!" No way could Naruto be getting up. He was sure that he was unconscious.

'I was wrong about him,' Sakura smiled as she watched Naruto stand up on his feet. She thought about how he stopped Orochimaru's snake, him fighting the one hundred clones, and his ninja way. '_Come on, Naruto. Show 'em what you got.'_ Sakura thought. She knew Naruto would fight and show everyone his power.

Naruto stood up, panting, he took a hard hit to the gut but he wasn't going to stay down.

"Don't ever…Don't ever understatement me!" Determination was in his eyes and he was ready to fight Kiba. He wasn't going to lose to him or to anyone else here.

"'Atta boy Naruto!" Sakura cheered. She was proud of Naruto right now, he was standing tall and she knew he would give Kiba a run for his money.

"Yeah, yeah. More tough talk. Look at yourself in a mirror, you're a mess!" Kiba called back. He didn't think that Naruto would actually still be conscious from his attack. _'I guess has gotten a little stronger.'_He didn't think much of that though. His attention was brought back to Sakura and how she was cheering happily for Naruto. _'Stupid kid. Just wait once this fight is over, she'll be cheering for me.'_

Naruto didn't seem fazed by Kiba mocking him. "Ha! I just wanted to see what you got. And frankly you hit like an old lady." Naruto gloated back. He grinned at Kiba, showing his attack didn't have that big of an effect on him.

Kiba growled at Naruto. He didn't like that last comment he made. Saying he was weak when he hasn't even made a move yet. The only thing he did was get hit and end up looking like a beat up old doll.

"You have a better chance of winning this if you sent that puppy in to fight for you." Naruto added on. He didn't believe that Kiba was as tough as he once thought he was.

Kiba was really annoyed now. "You're gonna regret that." He growled.

**X**

"Uh-oh." Sakura was worried now.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Kakashi asked his student. His attention was on the fight, but he wanted to see what she had to say.

"That last comment Naruto made, he really upset Kiba with it. Not only did he call him weak, but Akamaru too and that's one thing Kiba won't stand for. When you insult or hurt Akamaru you're basically asking Kiba to kill you." She told her sensei. Sakura could remember that more then once Kiba would beat up the kids at the academy because they made fun of Akamaru.

"Really? Is that so?" For some reason he sounded amuse again and Sakura didn't like that.

"Sensei? Why do you sound so amused? Aren't you worried for Naruto?" She asked him. Sakura found it weird to see him acting so calmly, and she wanted to know what he found that was so amusing.

"No, not really. I know Naruto can take care of himself." He told her. Hands in his Jounin uniform pockets, if Sakura was facing him, she would have seen the smirk he was wearing under his mask.

"So, is that why you're amused? You believe that Naruto will win and find it funny that everyone's worrying about him." She wondered, that sounded about right. Everyone was saying that Kiba would win this, and she was sure it would be surprising to everyone if Naruto did win.

"Nope." He said.

"Then what?" She really didn't understand her teacher sometimes. He was just so confusing to her.

"Oh, it's nothing really." He said in a light tone. "It's just that as this match goes on, you keep showing me that you know much more about Kiba, who you say is nothing more then an old childhood friend, then you do about Sasuke, who you say you are in love with." He looked down to a now blushing Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei! Didn't I tell you before to drop it!" Sakura yelled at her Sensei, trying to will her blush off her cheeks. She couldn't believe he was saying stuff like that.

'_Just what is Kakashi-sensei saying? I mean of course I know more about Kiba's clan then Sasuke's. I grew up with Kiba and I met a lot of people from his clan, and Sasuke's entire clan was wiped out, so I know just about everything that everyone else does. There's no other reason…right?'_ Sakura herself wondered for a moment. _'Stupid Kakashi-sensei making me think weird things.'_ Hoping to take her mind off her thoughts, she went back to watching the battle.

**X**

Kiba was annoyed now. How dare he call both him and Akamaru weak. He was going to wish that their names hadn't been picked to fight each other. "Come on, Akamaru!" Barking in agreement, Akamaru and Kiba ran at Naruto. This time Kiba was going to make sure that Naruto stayed down. "Take this!" Throwing smoke bombs at Naruto, Kiba had the upper hand at attacking him. He threw punch after punch, knowing Naruto wouldn't be able to see or predict when his next move will be, all the while waiting for Naruto to fall in his trap.

Naruto, knowing he needed to get out of the smoke, ran out as fast as he could. He knew he was a sitting duck just standing in there. But once out, Akamaru jumped at him and tackled him back into the smoke screen to finish him off.

"He fell for it!" Kiba was pleased with his plan. He knew that there was no way Naruto would beat him. The kid may have gotten a little stronger, but he was still a weakling. As the smoke cleared, they all saw Akamaru wagging his tail and an unconscious Naruto lying next to him.

"Yeah! This fight is over." Kiba cheered holding his arms open to Akamaru, who was running towards his master. "Good doggy. Way to go…" Kiba stopped mid-sentence. Something didn't smell right about Akamaru.

He was right. The minute he got close to him, Akamaru jumped up and bite him on the arm. Everyone who knew Kiba and Akamaru were shocked and surprised. They never once had seen Akamaru bite him before. "Akamaru? What are you doing?" Kiba couldn't believe it. He was too shocked to think of any reason why Akamaru would bite him. That's when he got his answer.

"Surprise. Got ya! Hahaha!" Akamaru disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Naruto speared. Still biting Kiba's arm.

"You used a transformation jutsu!" He couldn't believe Naruto actually fooled him. "You little…get off! Let go of me!" Kiba shook Naruto off his arm and glared at him.

Naruto stood up and looked sick to his stomach. "You smell even worse then the dog."

Speaking of his dog, Kiba couldn't find Akamaru. "What ya do with him? Where is he?"

"He's right here." A shadow-clone of Naruto said holding up a whimpering Akamaru.

"How did you…? Ok." Kiba was mad now. Naruto was playing with him and Akamaru, but he wouldn't let that get him down.

"Wasn't that amazing? Amazing." Hinata said looking down at Naruto.

"That was amazing, Naruto!" Sakura cheered down to him.

'_Urgh! Not only did he make a fool of me, but now Sakura's cheering for him. Again! I hate this kid almost as much as I do Sasuke.'_ Kiba was ready to attack Naruto with everything he had but he knew that wouldn't be good. If he did that it could turn out ugly. He clamed himself down and went back to focusing on the match. "What do you know? Gotten a little stronger I see, but not nearly strong enough, cause now I'm gettin' serious."

"Oh? Well that's good, cause I want to seriously knock you out!" Naruto made a fist at Kiba to show him he was ready for him.

Kiba wanted nothing more then to knock Naruto out right now. He just wanted to punch him right in the face and be done with this stupid match. '_There's no point in getting angry at this loser that will only distract me so I just need to calm down.'_Taking in a deep breath Kiba calmed himself before reaching into his weapon pouch and took out two pills. One pill he swallowed the other he threw to Akamaru.

"Naruto, if I were you, I would let go of Akamaru." Kiba had a strange look in his eyes. Akamaru was looking weird too, his fur turned blood red and he let of a growl you would only hear from a lion and not a little puppy. Akamaru kicked at the shadow clone and jumped onto Kiba's back.

"Let's go, Akamaru!" Akamaru barked and Kiba used his jutsu.

"Beast Mimicry! Man-Beast Clone!" Two fierce looking Kiba's appeared and Naruto was freaked out by now. The look in the two Kiba's eyes told him that they wanted to defeat him and would everything they can to do so.

"He's go a crazy look in his eyes all of a sudden. Hey wait a second he took something! No fair! That's cheating! He outta be disqualified!" Naruto turned to the proctor complaining like a little kid who didn't get any dessert.

"Food pills. They're just another tool, they're allowed." Hayate calming explained coughing.

Naruto really didn't like this guy. "Aw! You're no help at all!" He pointed and pouted at him. Stupid proctor wasn't helping him at all. "Fine whatever!" He turned back to the two Kibas and was ready to fight them both off.

"Let's finish this." Both went into attack mode. "Now on all four jutsu!" They each aimed their claws for Naruto's head and body. Their speed and strength had Naruto just barely dodging their attacks.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out when she saw Kiba almost hit Naruto with his last attack. With the way he was now, she wasn't sure if Naruto would be able to beat Kiba, let alone fight him now.

"I will…I will be…Hokage. I will!" Naruto groaned out, he was trying to regain himself from Kiba's last attack. His head was spinning, his body hurt, and he was bleeding from he side of his head. He didn't look to good right now.

Kiba just chuckled at Naruto's weak whines. "And how you gonna do that? By lying flat on your face?" He smirked, he was enjoying this. Naruto may have mocked him in the beginning but now it was Kiba's turn. "I got news for ya, I'm gonna be Hokage." He laughed when he saw Naruto tense up at his words.

_'That's going too far, Kiba.'_Sakura thought, looking down at her fallen teammate and Kiba. _'A little mocking is ok, but to say you're going to take Naruto's dream is going to far.'_She was still confused about her feelings, but for right now, she would cheer for Naruto. She would cheer him on to win this match, and get closer to his dream about being Hokage.

Naruto was struggling to stand up and Sakura wanted to help him. "On your feet, Naruto!" She wanted him to win this battle. She knew this match was important to him, he was fighting for his dream and she didn't want him to give up.

Kiba tried not to growl, he could smell the scent come off of Sakura. She wanted Naruto to win, but Kiba couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't lose to this weakling, even if it make making Sakura unhappy for this one day, he would win.

Naruto stood up again and Kiba used the same attack from before. Just like last time, it got Naruto fighting to keep his balance, but this time he had a trick for Kiba. As the smoke cleared, there were three Kibas now standing in the ring.

"Perfect! Good one, Naruto! Brilliant!" Sakura cheered, she was happy and amazed at what her teammate was doing. He was really starting to show was an excellent shinobi he was. "He's made himself look like Kiba, so now Kiba doesn't know which one to go after. He's got to be careful because he might be attacking Akamaru." Sakura explained to those who were a little slow on the update.

"Ok, so I see you've gotten better at the transformation jutsu," Kiba looked at the two who had the same face and body as his. "But you forgot one little thing, I admit you look just like me and that threw me for a minute, but I still know which one is you." He smiled a confident grin to one of the clones in front of him. "You can't hide from me. Wanna know why?" He sent the clone flying to the ground with his fist. "I can smell ya, kid. There's just no getting past our sense of smell."

_'No way.'_Sakura groaned looking at the three Kibas. _'I didn't think Kiba's sense of smell would develop this quickly and so strongly. Before he would have to be right next to the person to see which was the fake._' She couldn't believe he got his nose that much stronger in such a short amount of time.

The clone disappeared and in its place was Akamaru!

_'Now way! It's impossible!'_He didn't understand how Naruto could gave fooled him. He turned around to the other clone. "So it's you, messing with me!" He sent the other clone flying, waiting for Naruto to appear next. Like the last time, Akamaru appeared again.

"Wha…?" Kiba couldn't believe it. He was fooled! Quickly turning around, he saw Naruto running towards him and was kicked off to the side. "Little squirt." He growled, incredibly annoyed right now.

"The smart shinobi is careful how he uses his jutsu. Otherwise it's liable to come back and bite him on the butt. Dummy." He grinned to Kiba, indirectly telling him that Naruto could beat his jutsu and use it against him too.

Kiba growled at Naruto. He hated the blonde so much at this point. _'Arguing with this kid is a waste of energy. I can't play his game. Gotta keep calm. Keep calm.'_He bit down on his hand, making it bleed while he tried to relax himself. It wasn't working, Naruto had him to wire up at this point. _'Where is it?'_There was only one other way to calm himself. Kiba sniffed the air until he found the one smell that always made his mind and body relax. _'There it is. Sakura's scent, smelling good and better then ever.'_He took in a big whiff of it, letting his body stand up when he was sure he could relax a little. Her scent always did that too him, it calmed him down even when he was on the verge of going insane.

Once he felt he was ready to fight again, Kiba began thinking of a plan to use. '_Ok, I still have the advantage. I'm a lot faster then he is, he can't keep up with me,'_He pulled out his shuriken, ready to throw them all. _'All I have to do is watch for an opening, slip in from behind, and take him down with my all fours jutsu. That's right. No worries. Just keep my head, there's no way I'll lose this match.'_He told himself, wanting to end this battle already. He wanted to be done with all this.

Kiba attacked, making sure Naruto couldn't try and use his new move of his. It didn't what it was, as long as he didn't use it, and then everything would be fine for Kiba. Throwing the shuriken, he had Naruto on this toes trying to dodge them all. He then went in after him, using his speed to his advantage, making sure that Naruto could make any hand signs. Only once did he send Kiba off, but he didn't do any damage to him. Then Kiba went after him and used his claws to send him flying to the ground, adding more to the damage he had already caused him.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out, worried about her teammate. Her cries were bothering Kiba even more, making him want to attack Naruto even harder when he saw him standing up. "On your feet Naruto!" Sakura called to him again, willing him to stand and fight.

Kiba looked at her for a quick moment. He couldn't really let his mind wander to Sakura but it did. Why she was still cheering for this weakling he had no idea, she should have been cheering for him. He was the one winning this match. Not only that but all the cheering she was doing adding onto his level of annoyance. He didn't like that she was giving so much care to Naruto because he wanted those feelings on himself.

So to work off some stress, Kiba decided to keep going after Naruto until he was back lying on the floor. "Ha! You wanted me to get serious, so I got serious!" Kiba panted out, believing that this fight was finally over and he won. "You get it now? You were just kidding yourself; you never even had a chance." He was confident until he saw that Naruto was struggling to get back up.

It was time to end this. Kiba charged at Naruto, using every bit of power he had left to finish him off. "I've got you now." He was behind Naruto in a flash, ready to attack. He had him right where he wanted him, until Naruto farted right in his face. His hands went directly to his nose, trying to block out the smell that was burning his nose.

"Urgh! Nasty!" Kiba chocked out, trying hard not to throw up. The smell was so bad; he couldn't even pick up on Sakura's scent to make him feel better.

With Kiba at his disadvantage, Naruto used this moment to use his Uzumaki Barrage on him and won the match.

"Yes, Naruto! That's my teammate! Way to go" Sakura cheered, so happy that he had won the match. That he had shown them all that he was strong.

The Chunin Exams continued from there on and the next few battles that took place were some that no one was going to be able to forget. Hinata vs. Neji and Gaara vs. Rock Lee were probably the two battles that would be known as the battles that no one would ever want to experience. The outcomes of each were just as bad as the battle and everyone agreed that they would never wish that on their worst enemy.

* * *

The battles soon ended and the third Hokage explained to all those that had won what the exam were for and what was expected of them now that they had won. He said that preliminaries were over and the finals would begin in one month. So everyone needed to train hard and be ready for their next fight. They then drew who they would fight in the finals and were dismissed once it was all over.

Sakura immediately headed for the hospital once everything was finished. She had to check and see if Sasuke was ok. She knew it wasn't fair to her or Kiba but she was really worried about him, and the curse mark that Orochimaru had placed on him. She asked for his room but the lady at the desk said that he wasn't allowed to have any visitors.

"Oh I see." Sakura sighed in defeat. She could only wonder if it was because of the curse mark. Were the teachers worried that Orochimaru would attack him at the hospital? She would have to ask Kakashi-sensei next time she saw him. "What about Rock lee?" Sakura was worried for him too. The way Gaara fought Lee off she was afraid that he was already half dead by the end of the match.

"I'm sorry but he's in no better shape then Sasuke is, so he isn't allowed any visitors either." The women told Sakura. She felt sorry for her but there was nothing she could do. Rules were rules and she couldn't break them for anyone. "Is that all miss?"

"Yes…no wait. What about Kiba Inuzuka?" Sakura hoped he was ok. She knew that Naruto would never do anything that could be fatal but you never know.

"Inuzuka…" Flipping through some papers, the girl at the desk found his file and began to read it. "He's fine and is allowed to have visitors, but he's asleep right now so if want to see him you'll have to come back in an hour." She told her smiling.

"Ok, thank you." Sakura left the hospital with a small smile on her face. At least Kiba was well enough for her to visit; now all she had to do was wait for an hour before she went to see him.

"What I should do now? Naruto probably went off training, Kakashi-sensei is nowhere to be found, and Ino's either with her team or at her family's flower shop." Deciding she should get Kiba a flower when she visited him, Sakura made her way to the Yamanaka flower shop. Poking her head in Sakura saw that no was at the counter.

"I wonder were everyone is?" Sakura wondered to herself looking around at the pretty flowers trying to decide which one she should get for Kiba. She knew it couldn't be a strong scented one or else it would bother his nose. '_Maybe I should bring him something else.'_ Getting ready to leave the shop a flower caught her eyes and she head over to look at them.

"Oh wow! Hydrangeas!" Sakura smiled down at the beautiful smelling flower. "If I remember correctly Kiba said that he likes these flowers."

"See something you like, Sakura?" Jumping at her name, she turned to see Ino's mom standing behind her with a bouquet of roses in her arms.

"Hellos Mrs. Yamanaka." Sakura stood up and greeted her.

"It's nice to see you again Sakura." She greeted Sakura back and put the bouquet on a table near by. "I see that the Hydrangeas have caught your eye. Are you planning on giving them to someone special?" She smiled sweetly. It was like she almost knew what was going on in Sakura's head.

"Kind of. You see one of my friends is in the hospital and I wanted to give him something to make him feel better." She had to look down at the ground for some reason. Just talking about giving Kiba something was making her shy and her face hot.

Mrs. Yamanaka had to smile at Sakura and how she was acting. From what Ino has told her Sakura isn't the shy little girl anymore but this friend of hers seems to make her turn back into that shy little girl. "I see. Well would you like me to make a bouquet for you?" She asked moving towards the Hydrangeas. "Do you have a particular color that you want to give? You know each color means something different." Sakura didn't think of that. If she gave him the wrong color with the wrong meaning it would be like she was saying that she hated him. She had to think this over carefully.

"Um…I want…no! I mean…well…uh…um…hmm?" She didn't know which one to get. Ino was the one who would tell her what the flower meant. She didn't know the meaning of any of these flowers. "I…um…I don't know which one to get." Sakura said in defeat. She wanted to get Kiba a good flower with a good meaning, not one that might mess up their relationship even more.

Mrs. Yamanaka gave a light laugh at how much Sakura was struggling on the flower. "Why don't you think about it and then come back. I promise you that the Hydrangeas will still be here when you return." Agreeing with her Sakura left the store and headed home to study up on flowers and their meanings.

Fifteen minutes into studying Sakura gave up. She would never understand everything about flowers, Ino's the flower girl and I'm…" She stopped and remembered what Kiba had told her so long ago.

'_You're not a flower girl, you're a kunoichi.'_

"Yeah that's right. I'm a kunoichi and I don't need to worry about this stuff. I sure that whatever flower I give him Kiba will love either way." Happy with herself Sakura left her house and went back to the flower shop.

"Excuse me? Mrs. Yamanaka?" Sakura stood in the door way with her hands folded behind her back.

"Ah! Sakura, you came back faster then I thought. Have you decided on what you're going to give you friend?" She asked her moving next to the Hydrangeas.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could give me a bouquet of the blue ones." She pointed at the light blue Hydrangeas. The sunlight was hitting on them directly and they gave off an angelic look and feeling.

"A wonderful choice with a wonderful meaning." Mrs. Yamanaka smiled and carefully grabbed a handful of blue Hydrangeas and made a beautiful bouquet out of them. "Here you are my dear." She handed Sakura the bouquet. "Did you know Sakura that blue Hydrangeas stand for happiness and are perfect for saying whatever's in your heart." She told her.

Sakura looked down at the bouquet in her hands and thought that it was the perfect thing to give to Kiba. "Thank you." Sakura left the store with a bright smile on her face. Visiting hours already started for Kiba so she started to jog to the hospital before the smell of something delicious caught her nose. "Smells good." She looked to where the smell was coming from. "Hamburgers? He's probably hunger by now and I'm sure he would like it if I brought him some. I should probably get Akamaru something too." With that decided Sakura headed into the restaurant and ordered one large hamburger with everything on it.

* * *

Back at the hospital Kiba had just woken up just a few minutes ago and was already going out of his mind. The doctors said he was find but wanted him to rest some more before they let him start moving again.

"Stupid doctors!" Putting his hands behind his head Kiba glared up at the ceiling almost like he was blaming it for keeping him there.

"I'm really hunger!" He wanted food but none of that disgusting hospital food. It tasted terrible and its smell left his nose burning. "I need some real food in me. Not that sorry excuse of crap that they serve." He said looking down at the sleeping Akamaru, laying down at the end of his bed, he was glad that he wasn't hurt to badly either. Looking back up at the ceiling Kiba just staring at it hoping something good would happen.

He closed his eyes and let his nose sniff out all the smells that were there.

His eyes flew open when he caught one scent. He quickly sat up and sniffed the air to see if his nose was lying to him or not. '_This scent! There's no mistaking it! I would know this scent anywhere! It's…"_His thought came to a stop when he heard the door to his hospital room being open. He gulped when the scent became stronger and the figure stepped inside the room.

"Hi Kiba." Sakura walked up to Kiba's bed and smiled down at him.

Kiba suddenly felt like doing a few hundred cartwheels. _"Yes! Alright! Sakura came to visit me and by her scent she didn't visit Sasuke or anyone else first! Just me!'_He let a happy grin spread out onto his face.

"Hey Sakura. Thanks for coming." He put one hand behind his head and was praying that he didn't say anything stupid that could make her anger with him.

"No problem. Anyway here, these are for you." Sakura handed him the blue Hydrangeas. "I hope that their not to strong for your nose." She added.

Kiba took the flowers from her and let another happy grin come onto his face. "Nope! They're perfect! Thanks Sakura, I really appreciate this." He had a small blush on his face. He couldn't believe how lucky he was, Sakura didn't seem mad at him anymore, she was here visiting him when she could be with one of her teammates or friends, and giving him flowers. Now what would make this perfect is if she brought him some real food.

"Oh that's right!" Sakura suddenly spoke up digging through a bag that Kiba only just noticed. "Here, I thought that you might want this." She handed him the hamburger. It was still warm and fresh and smelt great.

Kiba suddenly felt like crying tears of joy. _'There is a god! And this god wants me to be happy with Sakura by my side!'_Kiba took the burger from her hands and greedily ate it savoring its flavor. He doesn't remember ever being this happy then he was now at this moment. Now what would make this moment perfect was for Sakura to suddenly confess that she's been in love with him all this time and not Sasuke.

"I also brought some treats for Akamaru." She told him sitting on the bed and putting the now awake puppy on her lap and fed him the doggy treats that she bought him. Akamaru barked happily and ate them greedily just like Kiba. He wagged his tail at Sakura and licked her face showing his gratitude for the treats and the visit. "Aw! Akamaru! You're even cuter then I remember!" Sakura laughed at the puppy, which was now on his back asking her to rub his belly, she could only laugh again and began to rub Akamaru's belly and was telling him how cute he was.

'_Lucky dog!'_Kiba thought crossing his arms at he looked at hi dog who held all of Sakura's attention. In between the belly rub Akamaru looked at his master and it almost looked like he winked at Kiba. _'That little sneak! He knows it too!'_Kiba didn't like being jealous of his dog, he loved Akamaru, but wanted Sakura's attention on him right now.

Sensing his master's distress, Akamaru jumped away from Sakura and moved over to Kiba to go under the blankets to get some rest, but not before barking to Kiba "She's all yours".

The room got quiet very fast and Kiba was trying to think of something to say. Nothing stupid that would insult her but something that would make her want to stay longer. But what? He couldn't think of anything. He felt like such an idiot!

"Kiba?" Sakura voice snapped his attention back to her. "Yeah? What's up, Sakura?" Kiba could hear Akamaru laughing at him from under the blankets.

"Did you like you burger? I hope that I got one that you liked. If not I don't mind going back out and getting you another one." She told him, a smile never once leaving her face.

"No! I mean…the burger. No it was good, really good. I liked it a lot." He wanted to slap himself. He sounded like such an idiot.

Sakura gave a light chuckle to him. "Good. I'm glad. So how are you doing?" She asked him.

"All right I guess. I didn't think Naruto was so strong. Man your sensei must have put you through some kind of training to get the kid that strong." Kiba said wondering exactly how Kakashi trained them. It still didn't seem possible that Naruto had actually beaten him, but it happened.

"Yeah well, Kakashi-sensei is no push over and neither are our missions." Sakura began to explain everything that happened since day one of her training with her sensei and her teammates.

Time went by for the two but neither noticed. Two hours had already passed and Sakura didn't seem in a hurry to leave yet. In fact by the way things were going it looked like she was going to stay with him for a few more hours, which was fine with Kiba. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet, not when she was here with him giving him attention for once and not Sasuke.

"Man! I can't believe you guys actually went on an A-Ranked mission already. Lucky!" He pretending to be upset and pout. He was a little bit jealous since he only went on one C-ranked mission, but he didn't let it bother him to much. A-Ranked missions were dangerous and he was worried if something might have happened to Sakura while she was there.

Sakura had to laugh at him. "Trust me, it may sound cool but it was anything but. I have to say that that mission is one that I will never forget." Sakura told him remembering all that had happened. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw how much time had passed since she got here. She knew she should leave soon, after all his teammates would probably be visiting soon and she didn't want to bother them. But that didn't stop her from getting upset over it; she was enjoying herself and didn't want to leave. She finally realizing just how much she really did love him and if she left without telling him then she knew she would regret it.

Reading her body langue Kiba was not only able to see that she was upset but was able to smell it on her too, along with the smell of regret too. But he had to wonder what made her suddenly get so upset? Was it something he said? Was she mad at him again! Or maybe…she was upset because she wanted to go and see Sasuke. Was she regretting visiting him instead of seeing Sasuke first?

"Sakura?" He knew he didn't have a right to ask her it but he really wanted to know why she was upset now. "What's wro…"

"Say Kiba…"Sakura cut him off before he could ask her. "Do you remember when we were little kids and Ino would always ask you why a boy would want to hang out with two little girls?" She suddenly couldn't look at him.

Thinking back to his childhood, Kiba did remember Ino asking him that a few times. "Yeah, I remember. Why? What about it?"

"Well, I was just wondering…why did you hang out with us all the time? I'm sure you had other friends who did more stuff that you thought was fun." Sakura would look at him but then look back down. She wanted to run away at this moment but she wouldn't let herself. She was going to get an answer and if it wasn't one that would help then she would tell him her feelings.

"Uh…!" That took by surprise. He didn't think she would ask him that. His face suddenly became hot and was debating if he should tell her the reason why now. It seemed like the perfect time, no one else was there with them, Sakura seemed to be enjoying spending her time with him, and he was positive that the day the Chunin exams started he felt more then friendship coming off from her. He should tell her now before something ruins this moment. "Because I liked hanging out with you guys." Too bad he was too much of a coward to say it.

"Oh, I see." Sakura looked down again before looking back up into his eyes. "Uh…Kiba. You know growing up I always thought of you as a really good friend, but now I…I…" She was scared to say it. She was afraid to say it but she had too. She just had too! Her cheeks were stained red and she was shaking from her nerves but no matter what she was going to say it.

Kiba by now was confused. He was wondering what was wrong with Sakura. He was shaking, her face was red, and the smell of love for him was all over her body.

'_Wait! The smell of love! For Me! Don't tell me…is Sakura…is she going to tell me that…that…THAT SHE'S IN LOVE WITH ME!'_ Kiba gave her a quick whiff without her noticing. He wanted to make sure that what he was smelling was really love and not something else.

'_No way! There's no other smell on her except for love! Yes! Sakura's in love with me!'_He gave a mental fist pump in the air at the smell_. 'Ok, gotta calm down. Can't be too aggressive or I might scare her off. She seems nervous but by her scent she's not gonna leave until she tells me. Once she does, I'll take her in my arms and tell her my feelings for her too.'_With that thought Kiba waited for the three little words he's always dreamed of hearing from her. It would only be a matter of time now.

"I…I…" She never knew it was so hard to say just three words. She's never had trouble expressing her feelings for Sasuke so why was she now? "I…I…I…" _'I have to do this! I have too! There's no way I'm gonna walk out of here without saying my feelings!'_

"Kiba I…I Lo…"

_Knock Knock_

"Kiba, it's me and Shino. We're coming in." Kiba's sensei and squad leader of team eight Kurenai Yuhi walked in with Shino beside her. She held a small bouquet in her hands. They walked inside and noticed a beat red Sakura sitting on the bed with a very annoyed looking Kiba. "Oh! I'm sorry. Are we interrupting something?" She asked wondering if they should leave and come back later.

"Uh…"Neither one knew what to say. It would be rude to tell them to leave but both really wanted to continue with what was going on. They let a minute pass before Sakura got up from off the bed. "No, don't worry. I was actually just leaving."

"What!" Kiba's luck suddenly ran out.

Kurenai blinked in confusion, wondering what happened between the two. "Are you sure Sakura? You can stay if you want too, we don't mind." She told her.

"No, it's ok. I need to get home soon." She told her moving towards the door. She turned back around and waved at Kiba. "Bye Kiba. I hope you recover soon." She left the room after that and headed home suddenly feeling very depressed.

As soon as Sakura was out of the room Kurenai and Shino turned to ask Kiba what was that all about, but couldn't because he curled himself up into a fetal position and was sulking. "Kiba? Are you all right?" Shino raised an eyebrow that was hidden behind his shades.

"No, I'm not all right!" Kiba stopped sulking long enough for him to be annoyed with his teammate and sensei. "Why'd you guys have to walk in now! Sakura was just about to tell me that she loved me! I could smell it on her! She almost said it but stopped when you guys walked in!" He went back to sulking in the fetal position again.

Kurenai and Shino looked at each other before staring back at Kiba.

"Shino, do you understand what happened here?" Kurenai asked him, hoping he at least had some idea about what was going on. She was very confused by Kiba's action, having never seen the Inuzuka like this before.

Shino shook his head no, saying he didn't have the answers she wanted. "No, not really. But what I do know is that from now on Kiba is going to be trying harder and harder to be alone with Sakura." Shino said. If you knew him well and had very good hearing you could hear the amusement in his voice.

"This close. I was this close to hearing I Love You from Sakura." Kiba was mumbling to himself. He really hated how things turned out for him in the end.


	8. For A Moment

Chapter 8: For A Moment

Kiba really hated how much his luck sucked. He finally had his chance with Sakura and just as she was about to tell him she loves him, his teammate and teacher had to chose that damn time to come and visit him! If they only arrived a few seconds later then maybe right now he and Sakura would be a couple. They could be walking down the street, holding hands, giving each other pet names, and deciding where they wanted to go on their next date.

Instead he was stuck in the middle of the forest helping Shino get ready for the Chunin exams. He knew that he sounded like a spoiled brat but so would anyone else if they were in his shoes. It wasn't fair!

"Kiba," Shino's voice pulled his thoughts away from Sakura and his bad luck back to him and their training. "You need to calm your mind down. If you are concentrating on something else then I can't guarantee that my next attack will not kill you," Shino walked up to his teammate and friend. "Perhaps you should sit out until you clear your mind?" He suggested. Shino knew what was on Kiba's mind, it was Sakura. He wasn't sure what had happened in the hospital but he knew that Kiba couldn't stop thinking about it.

Kiba let a sigh escape him. "Yeah, maybe you're right." He gathered up his kunai and called for Akamaru. "Sorry if I'm messing up your training for the exam." He did feel bad about this. Shino was taking the time that he could use for training but instead was helping him.

Shino just shrugged. "There is no need to apologize. Now then, go home and rest." He shooed him off before he released his bugs and went back to training.

Kiba listened to what he said and decided that he should go home. He went straight up to his room and laid down on his bed. Maybe some rest would be good for him. He could clear his thoughts and figure out what he could do about Sakura. He was sure that she was going to tell him that she loved him. But did that mean she was over Sasuke? He doubted it; she probably still loved the jerk. So what does that mean for him? Does she love him more then Sasuke? Or is he just a replacement?

"Argh! This is so frustrating!" He shouted out ripping his pillow to shreds. Why couldn't things just be simple? Why do they have to be so damn complicated?

"Pup? What are you doing up here?" He heard his mother enter the room and huffed. He kicked his destroyed pillow off his bed and crossed his arms. "Nothin'." He knew she would ask him what was wrong. All mothers did. But with his, he couldn't lie about what he really was upset about. Being an Inuzuka, it gave us the ability to see when others are lying.

"What's the matter with you?" His mother, Tsume, walked up to his bed and stood in front of him. "You're upset and confused over something. Now what is it?" She crossed her own arms and looked down at him.

"None of your business." He told her ready for her to start shouting. His mother had a temper that rivaled with that of Sakura's, only his mother didn't look cute when she was angry like Sakura. He didn't know why, but he always found her to look really cute when she was screaming at the top of her lungs, punching whoever pissed her off.

Tsume snorted at her son and flicked his forehead. "It becomes my business when my son is having girl problems."

That caught Kiba off guard. He knew that the people of his clan could see when a person was lying and what they were feeling but he didn't think that his mother would be able to see what the cause of his problems were. "How did you know?"

She snorted again. "It's so obvious that I didn't even have to read your body language. The way you're always staring off into space and a smile suddenly appearing on your face, your mood swings where you go from anger to complete bliss," She watched her son turn his head away from her. "There's also the way your body is now. It is acting the same way your father's did when he knew that he the person he wanted to mate with." She added.

Kiba felt like his face was on fire. He was blushing so bad that his triangles disappeared from his face. "Mom!" How could his mother talk about something like that so easily with him?

"There is nothing wrong with that. It's not uncommon for an Inuzuka to find their mate at a young age. Though you should probably wait a few years before you marry her." She said ignoring how red her son was turning. "So, who is this girl?"

"Mother," Kiba let out a warning growl his mother. He didn't want to discuss this with his mother, not right now. He was still confused on the whole situation himself and he didn't need his mother making him even more confused.

"Just tell me pup. I may be able to help." She said crossing her arms. She didn't know who had Kiba all confused but she was planning on talking to this girl to make her understand what she was doing to her son.

Kiba looked down at his lap and knew that there was no getting around it. He would have to tell his mother eventually. "Sakura Haruno." He moved his gaze to the floor and had a slight blush on his cheeks. Even saying her name made him blush. Probably because her name fit so perfectly with her name, with her pink hair and green eyes that match a filed full of cherry blossoms. A field so filled with beauty that Kiba could always picture it when he closed his eyes. He could see himself and Sakura, lying together in an open meadow, talking about past moments and how much they loved each other.

"That Haruno girl?" His mother seemed a little taken back. "Isn't she to weak for your liking?" She didn't know what her son saw in the girl but she knew it wasn't strength. The girl lacked power and her fighting ability wasn't good either. She doubted that she would be able to hold her own in a decent fight. "Why would you like a girl like that? She can't fight and from what I hear, her two teammates have had to rescue her whenever they face a problem on their missions."

Kiba growled at his mother, jumping off his bed and stood in front of his mother now. "Don't you dare say that! You don't know anything about Sakura or how much stronger she has gotten. She was able to break free of that stupid mind control jutsu that the Yamanaka clan uses. Her chakra control is so good that not even Sasuke or Naruto can match it. And so what if she isn't as strong as the other girls, I don't care. I'll protect her so she doesn't have to worry about fighting and getting hurt! I'm going to protect her for the rest of my life!" By the time he was finished he was panting. He told his mother everything about Sakura. It didn't matter if she couldn't fight. He would get strong and protect her forever. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her, ever.

Tsume looked at her son in shock. She has never seen him act like this, how territorial he was acting of this girl. He truly loved her. He wanted her safe and he would keep her safe. "Kiba, calm down." She placed her hands on his shoulders to not only calm him down but to she him that she was no threat to him or Sakura. When she saw that he was no longer panting or looked lie he would attack she spoke. "Well now I know why you would always play with Sakura when you were little. You've loved her since then haven't you?" She asked him. Akamaru was at his feet trying to comfort his master.

Kiba nodded his head. "Yes." He was finally letting it all come out. His feeling for Sakura, his confusion, everything. "Mom, I love her. I've always been I love with her…I just don't know what I'm supposed to do about it." He let out a defeated sigh and looked down at his feet. He really wasn't sure what it was that he was supposed to do about Sakura.

Tsume looked at her son and made him look at her. "First, stop acting like you already lost the battle. Now come on, you need to eat something. It'll help you think straight." She lead her son to the kitchen and made him lunch. From there Kiba explained to her everything that had happened since he first met Sakura to what had happened just yesterday in the hospital.

"…so you see. She was about to say that she loved me but Shino and Kurenai-sensei walked in and Sakura left. Now I'm all confused about what the hell I'm supposed to do! Does this mean Sakura loves me? Does she still love Sasuke? I am just a replacement? I need to know!" Kiba panted again finishing his story. He had never told anyone his full feelings for Sakura, only Akamaru knew so it felt weird talking to hi smother about it. But if she could help him, then he didn't care how weird it felt. He wanted help!

Tsume looked at her son and tried not to laugh. It wasn't that she found his situation funny, she wanted to laugh because of how much he loved this girl and how that love was confusing him. "First off, you are not a replacement, and if you are then Sakura is not worth your time. Second, try and give her some time, I bet she is just as confused as you are. So if you go see her too soon then it may just ruin your chances with her." She told him.

"Than what am I supposed to do after that? I mean I can't avoid Sakura forever, I'll run into her sooner or later and I don't want to sound like an idiot or do something that would make her hate me." Kiba looked to his mother for advised. He needed her help on how he should approach Sakura.

"Just talk to her like you would with Hinata or any of your other girl friends." Kiba turned his head to look at his older sister Hana.

"Back from the vet's already." Tsume greeted her daughter home.

"Yep. Everything was good with all the animals." She said before looking down at her brother. "Now if you want to talk to Sakura, just relax. If you're nervous then so will she and that will make her want to leave. As for doing something that would make her hate you, just watch your mouth and what comes out of it." She added ruffling her brothers' hair.

"Knock it off." He pushed her hand away, refusing to meet her gaze. "How much did you hear anyways?" He needed to know how much his sister had heard and if he needed to worry.

"I walked in right when you were telling mother about when you found Sakura's ribbon and saw how cute she was and you fell instantly in love with her." She let out a small laugh and moved to the fridge.

"So basically all of it." He glared at his sister. "Well how come you didn't say anything?" He huffed out. He felt like a child but he didn't care about that right now.

"Because I wanted to hear the rest. I think it's sweet that you found your mate so early. I'm happy for you." She said pulling out a water and sat down next to her brother.

"She's not my mate." He said looking out his kitchen window.

'_Well maybe not now. But if all goes well for me then I definitely wouldn't mind Sakura being my mate. Hey, I don't care if I'm young. I'll marry her now if I get a chance.'_ He thought imaging what it would be like to mark Sakura as his mate and marrying her. The look on Sasuke's face when he saw that she was in love with him instead of his stupid-self. He let a smirk come onto his face as the thought. That would be so perfect.

"Kiba!"

His mother's shouts brought him out of his daydream. "Wha..?" He looked around and saw his mother and sister giving him strange looks. "What?" He asked them.

"You were thinking about Sakura again?" His sister asked him. Her water forgotten, her attention was now solely on her brother.

He had been caught and blushed. "So what if I was? Is it wrong to think about the girl I love?" He asked defensively. He didn't want his mother and sister saying anything bad about Sakura. Even if it was his family he wouldn't stand for it.

"It wouldn't be if it didn't affect you so much." Tsume looked over her son. "When you think about Sakura, your mind is so focused on her that you fail to notice everything else around you. That's why you didn't Hana when she came home, because you could only focus on talking about Sakura." She explained to him. "You need to fix that. If this keeps up, you'll end up dying. And if you die who will protect Sakura?"

Kiba shout up at that. He hadn't realized any of that. Sure he was used to focusing only on Sakura but he didn't think it would cause him any harm. "So what am I supposed to do?"

Tsume looked to her son and walked off. "Wait here." She called to him. Before disappearing into the hall. She returned not a minute later with a book in her hand. She tossed Kiba the book.

Kiba looked at the book and almost fell over when he saw what the title was.

_The Inuzuka guide of Mating. The body, mind, and soul._

_The perfect way of getting a mate and controlling your thoughts and feelings._

"Mom!" Kiba called to mother wanting an explanation for this book. "What the hell is this?"

"This book is what will help you control your thoughts from taking over. It'll help you understand things better." She told him.

"But…" He tried to protest but one look from his mother said that it wouldn't be wise to argue. "Fine." He placed the book under his arm and headed back up to his room. The book in his mind was nothing but a stupid waste of time. But if it gave him some helpful hints then maybe he would use them.

After he left Hana looked to her mother with a confused look. "How long have you had that book?" She had her. She didn't know that book even exist until today.

"I bought it after the first day he bought Sakura over to play. I saw the way he would look at her and the scent he was giving off." She said sitting back down. "At the time I thought it was just puppy love, so I got the book for whenever he found his real mate but I guess I was wrong. It was never puppy love to begin with. Kiba has loved that girl all his life." Tsume added thinking about her son and Sakura.

"So now what? Do you really think that book will help him?" Hana asked. There were a few doubts in her mind about all of this.

Tsume just snorted at her daughter's question. "I doubt it. It'll be a miracle if he even read it." She told Hana. Kiba probably would only read about the stuff he thought he needed to know. Tsume knew that she had to do something.

Suddenly an idea came to her. She smiled, getting up and walking to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Hana asked her mother. She didn't like the look that was on her face. It spoke volumes of what she was planning.

"Just going out for a walk." Tsume told her daughter. She walked out the door but left it open for her companion, Kuromaru.

"You shouldn't be so worried." Kuromaru moved out the door. "She is just going to talk to the girl, nothing else." He told Hana before closing the door with his tail.

Hana sighed before heading into the living room. One of two things could happen. Her mother would scare Sakura so badly that she would agree to be Kiba's mate out of fear, or she would help the girl figure out what she was feeling.

Thanks to her nose, Tsume was able to find Sakura faster then she had thought. The girl was actually heading straight towards her. She looked down to her companion then back to Sakura. She knew what her mission was.

"Sakura!" She called out to the pink haired girl that had claimed her son's heart. She began to make her way towards Sakura.

Hearing someone shout her name, Sakura turned around and was surprised to see Kiba's mom, Tsume, walking up to her. "Hello, Inuzuka-sama." Sakura greeted her with a bow to show her respect for the woman.

Tsume looked at her and smiled. _'Well at least this girl knows how to respect those who are stronger then her. And it seems that she has gotten a little stronger then I thought.'_Tsume thought to herself. She smiled down to Kuromaru who was returning the same smile. So far they both liked Sakura.

"Please, Sakura, call me Tsume. You and Kiba have been friends for so long that you should actually start calling me mother." She was only half joking. She knew that if Kiba had his way, he would no doubt make Sakura his bride and then she would have to call her mother.

"Oh…Thank you, Tsume." Sakura wasn't sure what she was thanking her for but it felt better to call her Tsume then mother. That would be too weird. She and Kiba weren't even dating, let alone married, so she had no right, or wants either, to call this woman mother. "Um…is there something I can help you with?" Sakura realized that it was a little weird to suddenly run into Tsume like this.

"Actually, I was hoping you and I could have a little chat. It's been a long time since we've last seen each other." Tsume didn't give Sakura a chance to respond. She was already dragging the girl to the nearest tea shop.

The two women got a table and ordered some tea and sweets for themselves. Kuromaru stayed under the table, surprising he was laid up against Sakura's feet. That action had surprised her and she wondered if this was normal? Or was this just so she couldn't run away?

"You need to relax, child." Tsume told Sakura from her seat across from her. "Kuromaru just likes the way you smell so it is only natural for him to want be near you. Most dogs at the compound do that when they smell a scent they like." She explained to Sakura. She didn't need her all nervous and worried. What she needed was this girl to be open and honest with her. "Sakura, have you been to hospital recently?" She asked her when she caught a whiff of her scent again. It was faint but there were traces of the hospital on her.

Sakura nodded. "I went to visit my friend Rock Lee and Naruto." Sakura answered her. Kiba's mother was known for being very strong and if she was anything like Kiba, than she would be able to tell if she was lying about something or not.

"Oh? How are those two?" Tsume asked pretending to be interested. In order to make Sakura feel comfortable with her, she needed to show that she was no threat to her.

"I'm not really sure. When I went to visit, Lee was sleeping and Naruto wasn't in his room. He probably snuck out to train or get ramen." She rolled her eyes as she imaged her teammate running from nurses trying who tried to stop him from getting his precious ramen.

"Well it is normal for him to want to train. The Chunin exams are tomorrow after all." Tsume said wondering what the nine-tails holder was doing. According to Kiba, he has become a lot stronger from how he use to be.

"I guess so." Sakura agreed with what Tsume said. Naruto loved training and was probably getting himself ready for the second part of the Chunin exam.

"So tell me Sakura, how have you been lately. You and Kiba haven't played together in a while." It was time to get down to business. Sakura was comfortable with her now so it time to get her to talk.

Sakura looked at Tsume and tried to smile. "Yeah, well I guess we kind of grew apart from each other." She didn't want to say it was because Kiba avoid her, that would be rude and she wasn't even sure why he avoided her anyways.

"I see. Well that's too bad, you and Kiba always had so much fun together. It was quite ate the house when you two stopped playing together." Tsume looked at Sakura and was able to read her like a book. Sakura was thinking about Kiba instead of paying attention to her. The girl did seem to have some feelings for her son but she could see that there were feelings for the Uchiha as well.

'_She's just as confused as Kiba is. I need to get these two together and see how they act. From there I'll be able to see if it's really love that she feels or not.'_ Tsume thought looking around. She needed to come up an excuse to get Sakura to come back to the compound with her. She almost laughed when she saw a waiter coming towards them, a tray full of cakes in his hands.

Casually she stuck foot out and tripped the waiter so that he would fall and make all the cakes fall on top of Sakura. Quickly she moved next to Sakura, acting like a concerned person, and yelled at the waiter.

"What is the matter with you?" She yelled at the scared and clueless waiter.

"Ma'am I am so sorry." He said picking up the tray and looked sadly down at the shocked cake covered Sakura.

"It's ok, really." Even though it wasn't. Sakura felt so embarrassed that she wanted to do nothing more then run away and hide from the world. However she also wanted to yell and scream at the waiter for doing this to her.

"No, it's not. Come on, Sakura." Tsume grabbed Sakura by the hand and pulled her out of the tea shop. She jumped onto the rooftops, still holding onto Sakura and headed in the direction of the Inuzuka compound.

"That was playing dirty, Tsume." Kuromaru running beside his mistress. He knew that whole event was caused by her and he wanted to know why. "What are you thinking?"

"I need to get these two together if I'm to help Kiba understand what's happening to him. Not only him though, I have to help Sakura understand her feelings for my son. I want to see if she truly loves him as Kiba does for her." She explained to her companion. That was part of the reason, but there was more for her. She did want to help both of them, she wanted her son to be happy. And if he was at his happiest with Sakura then by damn she would get these to together.

"Um…Tsume? Where are you taking me?" Sakura asked as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. This whole event had confused her and she wasn't sure what was happening.

"I'm taking you back to my house. From there you can shower and get cleaned up." Tsume said trying not to show her smile. So far her plan was working.

"What?" Sakura felt her face suddenly turn the color of her hair. "You don't have to do that. Really, I can just go home and shower." She tried to pull her arm free but the Inuzuka had a strong grip on her. She was stuck. Something must have hated her; she didn't want to see Kiba right now. She was still confused about what had taken place when she went to visit him at the hospital. She knew that she held feelings for him, but she still had feelings for Sasuke. So by almost confessing her love to him, she almost ruined everything. It wouldn't be fair to her or Kiba if she said she loved him when her whole heart wasn't in it.

'_I had hoped that I could avoid him until after the exams were over, but it doesn't look I can if I'm going to his house. I'll just have to suck it up and face him and explain to him that what had happened at the hospital was a mistake and to just forget about it, for now.'_

With her thoughts all cleared up and ready, Sakura allowed Tsume to bring her to the Inuzuka compound. She let the memories from her childhood come flowing back to her. She could remember the first time Kiba had brought her over to play. She was so nervous that she fell over her own feet so many times. She missed those days.

They walked into the house and were greeted by Hana.

"Mother? That was quick. Did you…Sakura? What happened?" Hana ran over to the girl and looked her over. "How did you get all this cake on you?" Hana quickly ran into the kitchen and returned with a towel in her hands. She gave the towel to Sakura for her to wipe off some of the cake.

"I met up with Tsume in town. We stopped to have some tea when a waiter tripped and made cake fall on me." Sakura explained to Hana what had occurred in town.

"Sakura, why don't you go upstairs and shower. You can borrow Kiba's clothes too while we wash yours." Tsume said guiding Sakura upstairs towards Kiba's room. They entered and fond it empty of Kiba and Akamaru. By the smell of things, Kiba had left not long after Tsume left the compound.

"Are you sure this is ok?" Sakura asked looking around Kiba's room. She hasn't been in here since she was a kid. They room looked so different then what she remembered. The walls looked the same but there were pictures and posters that were new to her. The bed was a lot bigger then before and so was the desk and dresser.

"Don't worry so much, Sakura. Kiba won't mind at all." Tsume told her. She was digging through Kiba's closet looking for something that Sakura could change into after her shower. "Here we go." She pulled out a white t-shirt, a brown jacket with a white line running up the middle, and light brown pants to go with it. "You can change into these once you finish with your shower." She handed Sakura the clothes and left the room.

Sakura confused by all of this just listened to what Tsume said and took the shower. It felt good clean off the cakes from her body. She washed off the cakes from her arms and shoulders, and began to work the chunks out of her hair. She grabbed the shampoo bottle and squirted it into her hands before bringing it onto her head. She caught a whiff of the shampoo and smiled. It smelt really nice.

Happy when she heard the shower turn on, Tsume made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. From there she meant with Hana and Kuromaru.

"Something you want to say to me?" She asked them both, crossing her arms.

"Not really. Just tell me, what are the chances that you meant up with Sakura and bringing her home covered in cake?" Hana placed her two hands on her hips and stared at her mother. "You planned this, didn't you mom."

Tsume just shrugged and sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen. "I didn't expect all this to happen. But I needed to get Sakura to come here so that I could see if her feelings for Kiba were as strong as his feelings for her." She told her daughter. "By the way, where is the brat anyways?" She didn't pick up his scent anywhere in the house.

"He went to go on a short run with Akamaru not to long after you left. He said that he wanted to clear his head." Hana answered her mother, taking the stool directly opposite from hers. "You do know that once he comes home this whole house will be filled with his hormones and noise?" She asked her mom.

Tsume nodded her head saying she understood. Yes, but I think it will be good for him. He and Sakura may be able to come to an understanding about their feelings for one another."

"If you say so." Hana still had her doubts this whole thing.

A few minutes passed before the two Inuzuka females were joined by Sakura. She was clothed in Kiba's clothes and was blushing. The jacket was big for her small frame and her hands seemed to have disappeared inside the sleeves. The pants were big too but the jacket was able to hide how much it was falling off her hips.

"Um…thank you for all you've done for me." She thanked them both and joined them at the table.

"It's no trouble at all." Hana told Sakura. She looked over the girl that brother had fallen for and had to admit that she looked wearing Inuzuka clothing. She didn't smell bad either, in fact hers and Kiba's scents mixed together smelled rather nice to her. "You're clothes are being washed now, they should be done soon. If you want you can eat dinner here and then head home." Hana offered.

"Oh no. I couldn't do that." Sakura tried to decline, she didn't want to be rude and over stay her welcome.

"Yes, you can." Tsume said from her seat. "I insist that you stay over. In fact, why don't you spend the night? I heard it might rain tonight so you may want to stay over instead of walking home getting soaked." That was a pure lie and everyone but Sakura knew.

"No really. I can stay for dinner but I couldn't possibly sleep over. My parents would be worried and I don't want to cause any problems. Besides Ino said that she would stop by tomorrow and we would both head over to where they're holding the second part of the Chunin exams." Sakura explained to them. It was true that she had to meet Ino but that wasn't her only reason for not wanting to spend the night. It would be too weird for her. To spend the night over Kiba's house, she only did that once and it was during a really bad thunder storm. That night, she had stayed with Kiba in his room and the two shared his bed. She was too scared to sleep by herself so Kiba had offered to share his bed with her to make her feel better.

"Are you sure? Because…" Tsume stopped when she picked up Kiba's scent. He was at the door and was coming in.

"I'm home." Kiba announced entering his home. He was tired and depressed. He had hoped that if he went on a run with Akamaru then his head would clear up but it didn't. In fact that entire time running just made him think more about Sakura because he kept picking up his scent. It surprised him how strong her scent was becoming when he was getting closer to his house. That and the smell of cakes was even stronger then her scent. Did she stop by to drop off something?

"Yo mom, Hana, what's for dinner?" He walked into the kitchen and almost fell back when he saw Sakura sitting there, next to his mother and sister, wearing his clothes.

Sakura looked at the shocked Kiba and smiled. "Welcome home." She greeted him.

Kiba could feel his cheeks start to burn. Sakura was in his home, wearing his clothes, and fitting in so perfectly. She just fit there, sitting at the table with his family. It was like she was meant to be there. He caught a whiff of her scent mixed in with his and he almost lost it. Their two scents combined smelt so good to him. Right now he wanted nothing more then to take her in his arms and never let her go, to keep her with him forever.

"Kiba, go and wash up. We have a guest and she is staying over for dinner." Hana told her brother. She and her mother were trying hard to contain their laughter. The way Kiba looked right now was very funny to them. He was between hopeless confused and complete happiness.

"Huh?" Kiba looked at his sister then his mother. Did he hear them right.

'_Sakura's staying for dinner? She having dinner, with me, at my house? Could this mean…she is here to finish what she wanted to say at the hospital? Yes! Finally, we can be together. This has to be the perfect moment.' _Kiba let a smile come onto his face. He felt nothing but bliss at this moment. "Ok, mom. I'll go wash up now." With that said, he raced up the stairs towards his room. He would wash up and spend the rest of his evening with Sakura. Life was great.


	9. Scent and Memories

Chapter 9: Scent and Memories

Kiba raced up the stairs in record time. He wouldn't waste a second of his time that he had with Sakura. He ran to his room and took in a deep whiff of the air. His room is normally filled only with his scent now was a mixture of his and Sakura's combined. A wide grin spread onto his face at this. He would have a very pleasant sleep tonight, filled with dreams of Sakura. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he stripped off all his clothes and jumped into the shower. He grabbed his bottle of shampoo and began to wash his hair and body of the sweat he produced during his run.

'_Sakura's scent is all over this place. She was in here too.'_He thought to himself smelling everything. It was like he was in heaven. Their two scents together smelt so good to him, he couldn't get enough of it. Although something didn't smell quite right to him.

He turned off the shower once he felt that he was clean enough. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out of the shower and dried his hair with a nearby towel.

"What the…?" In the process of drying his hair, he caught a whiff of his scent and was surprised that it wasn't what he usually smelled when he was done showering. He turned around and grabbed the shampoo bottle and growled when he saw what it was.

"Stupid Hana, she gave some girlie shampoo." Kiba growled at the bottle. Now he was going to smell like a girl. "Great, now ma will probably make fun of me for smelling like a girl." He sighed and chucked the bottle of Minty Rainforest Mist Shampoo with extra body back into the shower.

He dried himself off and stepped out of his bathroom and back into his room. From there he searched his closet for an outfit that he deemed worthy enough to wear in front of Sakura. No way was he going to wear his regular clothes, this was to important of a night for him to just wear whatever. He had to look nice for Sakura, to show her that if she chose him she wouldn't regret it.

Finally after throwing almost everything he owned out of his closet and onto the floor of his room, he finally found something that he could wear. It was a long sleeved red shirt with black strips running down the sleeves and matching black pants. He looked himself over in the mirror and smiled at what he saw.

"Oh yeah, I look good." He said happy with his appearance. He didn't have his leaf village headband on and let his hair fall free around his head. He had thoughts about combing it but decided against it, whenever he tried to comb his hair it somehow always turned into a bowl shape that resembled Lee's and Guy-Sensei's haircuts.

"Well who cares, my hair looks cool not matter what." He told himself jumping back onto his bed. His head resting on the pillow he was able to smell Sakura on it too. There was only one other time when his room smelled so much like her. It was the first time she visited his house.

_/Flashback/_

_The sun was shinning brightly in the sky over the Leaf Village. Everyone in the village were enjoying the peaceful clear day and going about their daily life. This was a good day for all of them, but for some it was one of the most important days of their life._

"_But Kiba…!" A seven year old Sakura cried as she was being pulled along the streets of Konoha._

"_No buts, Sakura." A seven year old Kiba said back dragging his pink haired friend/crush down the streets. "You're coming over to my house today so stop trying to escape." He added dragging her some more. Akamaru was on her other side wagging his tail. He was happy that she was coming over to play._

"_But why now? I thought today we were supposed to go to the park with Ino to play?" Sakura said trying to break free. She didn't know what caused Kiba to change his mind so suddenly. Yesterday they all agreed to meet at the park so they could play together, but then Kiba showed up at her door and dragged her out of her house, saying that they were going over his house. "Ino won't like this." She mumbled to herself._

_Kiba stopped walking and let go of Sakura's arm. "Come on, Sakura. I want you to meet my family! We've been playing around with each other for over a year and to make it official, I have to introduce to my family!" He told her trying to sound serious. "It's the rule!" He cried trying to convince her._

"_Really?" Sakura looked at him not really sure what she should say. She had never heard of anything like that. "How come I've never heard of it?" She asked him looking for an answer._

"_Well…uh…because you're not an Inuzuka. Yeah, we hear things that regular people can't hear." He told her trying to smile. Actually that wasn't it at all. The only reason why he even heard that as because of a TV show that his sister was watching last night._

_**/Flashback within a flashback/**_

_**Kiba was walking through his house, Akamaru by his side, he walked into his kitchen to get them both a snack. He got them both a snack and proceeded to walk into his living room where his sister sitting on the couch watching a show.**_

"_**What ya watching sis?" Kiba asked looking up at his sister.**_

"_**Nothing, just waiting for this show to finish so that mine will come on." His sister Hana replied looking at the TV with a bored expression.**_

'_**Oh John!'**_

'_**Oh Mary! I love you with all my heart!'**_

'_**If you really loved me then you wouldn't be ashamed to introduce me to your family! Have we been doing nothing but playing around with each other for a year now? If you really had any sort of feelings for me you would have introduced me by now. And yet you haven't introduced me once!'**_

"_**Then I shall. Tomorrow morning I shall bring you to my house and from there you will meet my family.'**_

'_**Oh John!'**_

"_**Mary.'**_

_**The TV blinked before changing to another channel.**_

"_**Finally. I didn't know how much more of that I could handle." Hana said happy that her show was finally on.**_

"_**Hey sis?" Kiba called his sister and looked up at her with questioning eyes. "How come that girl was making such a big deal about going over that guy's house?"**_

"_**What you mean the girl on TV? Well because they've been together for almost a year and she must have thought that the guy didn't care about her because he never introduced her to his family." She said trying to explain things to her brother. "To the girl that's what makes them official."**_

"_**So two people become official when the guy introduces the girl to his family?" Kiba asked her.**_

"_**Yeah, I guess so." Hana told her brother.**_

"_**Ok. Thanks Sis!" Kiba thanked his sister and ran up to his room with Akamaru. Once the door was closed he jumped onto his bed and started planning.**_

"_**Ok, Akamaru, I better get things all neat in here." He jumped off his bed and started to clean his room.**_

_**Akamaru looked at his master for a second before he started helping him.**_

"_**Thanks boy. I need all the help I can get. If I'm gonna bring Sakura over tomorrow to introduce her to mom and Hana, I can't have a messy room."**_

_/End Flashback within the original Flashback/_

"_Come on, Sakura! I want my mom and sister to meet you!" Kiba took hold of Sakura's hand and led her to his house. He couldn't wait to introduce her to them. Just like his sister said, they would become official…whatever that meant._

"_But…Ino?" Sakura tried to remind him about their play date with Ino but it looked like he wasn't listening. She sighed and let him guide her to his house, but she knew that tomorrow she would have to explain to Ino why they didn't show up. Though she already knew that Ino wouldn't be happy after she explained it._

_It didn't take them long to reach the Inuzuka compound. Kiba grinned when he showed Sakura his house. His house was one of the biggest in Konoha because they house and train so many nin-dogs._

"_So what do you think?" He asked looking at her._

"_Wow! It's so big!" Sakura stared up in amazement at the house in front of her. "You live here?"_

"_Yep. Me and Akamaru!" He said proudly with Akamaru barking to agree with him._

"_That's so cool." Sakura gave him a happy smile. She really did like his house and how cool it looked._

_Kiba could feel his cheeks heat up. Her smiles always made his face get hot, and butterflies in his tummy. He hated the feeling before but he liked it now and he liked that only Sakura made him feel that way. When he watched her smile it was like a light would form around her and would shine for only him._

"_Let's go in!" He said after realizing that he was making a fool of himself just standing there. Kiba lead her into his house and into the living room where his sister and mom and her companion Kuromaru were._

"_Mom! Hana! Kuromaru!" Kiba ran into the living, bringing Sakura along with him._

"_Kiba? Who's this?" Hana asked getting up from her spot on the couch. Her Chunin vest was still on but it was unzipped. Kiba figured that she just finished training or a mission._

"_This is Sakura." He smiled introducing Sakura to his family._

"_Uh…hello." Sakura being as shy as she is, hide halfway behind Kiba. "It's nice to meet you." Her hands were on his shoulders and her head was sticking out. The rest of her body was hidden behind Kiba's. There was a light pink blush on her cheeks but it was nothing compared to the one that Kiba had on his face._

_He knew how shy she was and had seen her hide behind Ino before, but it was different now. She was hiding behind him now. He wasn't use to Sakura being this close to him but he wouldn't complain. If this made her feel better he would let her hide behind him. Besides, he liked the thought of her relying on him to protect her._

_Hana looked at her brother's friend and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Sakura. I'm Kiba's sister, Hana." She held out her hand for Sakura to take it._

"_H-Hello." Sakura took Hana's hand but she was still hiding behind Kiba._

"_Mother, don't you want to say hello?" Hana turned to look at her mother who was watching Sakura and her son._

"_Hello Sakura. I'm Tsume, Kiba's mother." Tsume said from her seat. "This is Kuromaru, my companion." She pointed down to Kuromaru who barked in return to Sakura._

"_Hello. Nice to meet you." Sakura greeted them; she didn't want them to think she was rude._

_Tsume looked at Sakura and then at her son. "Kiba, you should have told us you were bringing a friend over. I would have made you clean your room." She said with a smirk. She wanted to get to know this girl that was making her son blush. She knew her son and he usually acted around girls. Normally Kiba never wants to be near girls, saying they're weak and stupid, but with this one he was happy that she was close. She could smell it from her son._

"_That's alright mom. I cleaned my room last night." He said to his mom. He knew that if it wasn't clean then she would make him clean it until it was spotless._

"_You…did?" Tsume and Kuromaru gave him a look that said they didn't believe it._

"_It's true." Hana said going back to her seat on the couch. "When I went to wake him up this morning the whole room was clean. For a minute I thought I was in the wrong house." She added with a laugh. Like her mom she was confused at how Kiba was acting. Cleaning up his room was weird too. "You can actually see the floor and everything." She added crossing her legs._

"_See. I cleaned it up so Sakura and I could play in it." He said taking hold of Sakura's hand again. "Come on, Sakura. I want to show you everything." He was so excited. He had completed his mission. He had introduced her to his family and now they were official. Though he still didn't know what that meant._

"_Ok." Sakura let Kiba pull her up to his room. "Your sister and mom seem nice." She said as they climbed the stairs._

"_Yeah, they're ok." Kiba agreed opening his door to his room. "Let's play Ninja!" He announced brining Sakura into his room and jumped onto his bed._

_From there the two kids played together until Hana came in to announce that dinner was ready. When she walked in, the two were busy playing ninja. Kiba's pillow was the rouge Ninja and the two of them were the good Ninjas._

_Hana couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "If you two don't mind taking a break, dinner is ready." She led the two out of the room and down stairs to the kitchen. "Let's eat."_

_All four plus the two dogs began to eat their dinner and talked in-between bites._

"_Sakura…" Tsume spoke up suddenly. "You may want to call your family and tell them that you'll be spending the night here."_

"_Huh? Why is that?" Sakura asked looking up at Kiba's mother. Kiba looked at her too. He wondered what made his mother invite Sakura to spend the night. Not that he didn't like the idea. If Sakura spent the night then the two of them could continue to play together for the rest of the night_

"_Because it's going to start raining pretty bad soon and it would be better for you to just stay over instead of getting sick in the rain." She said picking up her plate and put it away. Hana moved and put everyone else's plate away and brought out some dessert for them all._

"_How do you know?" Sakura asked looking out the window in the kitchen. The sky was starting to become dark but it didn't look that bad._

_Tsume turned and gave her a smirk. "I can smell it."_

"_Oh." Sakura looked down at her hands before she jumped off her seat. "Uh…thank you for the offer but I don't want to be a bother. I can still go home now, the sky doesn't look that bad, and I should be able to make it home in time. Thank you for the meal." With that said Sakura started to leave the Inuzuka compound._

"_Huh?" Kiba turned his attention away from his dessert and watched Sakura leave his house. "Sakura wait!" He chased after her._

_Hana watched them go. "Shouldn't we stop them?"_

"_They won't go far." Tsume said looking out the window. "Hana, you better call her parents before they send the Anbu out looking for her."_

"_Sakura." Kiba stopped her just as she opened the door and stood outside his house._

"_How come you're going home? You heard my mom. She said you can stay over."_

"_I know that, but I don't want to be a bother to anyone." She told him. She really didn't. She only met them today and she didn't want it to seem like she was taking advantage of their kindness._

"_You're not a bother. My mom wouldn't have offered if you were. Besides, I want you to stay. I…we were having so much fun together." Kiba could feel his cheeks starting to heat up again. He really didn't want Sakura to leave just yet. He was having so much fun with her. "Actually Sakura…I…I…"_

_**BOOM!**_

_Just like that the storm started up. Rain poured down and thunder boomed in the sky. Lightening flared up lighting up the dark sky._

"_Life stinks." Kiba muttered as he and Sakura were getting soaked in the pouring rain. He almost told Sakura that he liked her, and even though he wasn't sure what her answer would be and was scared that it would be a rejection, he is upset that he was stopped. He hoped that stuff like this wouldn't happen a lot._

_**BOOM!**_

"_Ahh!" Thunder exploded in the sky, scaring Sakura. She yelled and held onto Kiba in fright. Her head buried in his chest, arms wrapped around his waist, as she tried to escape from the thunder and lightening._

"_Uh…" Kiba, not use to this, brought her back inside his house._

"_Glad to see you two are all right." Hana was there to greet them both. "You two have better change out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold." She reached hand out for Sakura to take. "I've already called your parents and let them know that you'll be spending the night. Now come on, you can change in my room." Hana took hold of Sakura's hand and led her up to her room._

_Kiba watched his sister take Sakura away and put a hand to his chest. His heart was beating so fast and his face felt very hot. Hotter then it usually does when he's with Sakura. He already knew that he liked Sakura so why was he acting this way? He didn't understand why he felt so different._

"_You better hurry and get changed pup." Tsume said to her son. She had her arms crossed and was leaning up against the wall nearby. "If you catch a cold, then you won't be allowed to play with Sakura."_

_Kiba looked up at his mother and nodded. "Right." He made his way to his room to dry himself off and put on some dry clothes._

"_K-Kiba?"_

_He had just got on his clothes when he looked and saw Sakura standing in his doorway. She had on some of his sister Hana's old pajamas. She didn't have the ribbon Ino gave her in her hair. Instead she was holding it in her hands._

"_Sakura." He went over to her and brought her over to sit down on his bed._

"_Sorry. I made you get wet." She apologized._

"_Hey, don't worry about it. I don't mind, its better then taking a bath." He laughed trying to lighten the mood._

_Sakura giggled at that. Kiba always made her laugh no matter what mood she was in. That why she valued her friendship with him so much._

_BOOM!_

"_Ahh!" The thunder sounded again and Sakura held onto Kiba in fear._

"_Sakura?" Kiba placed his hand on her head and tried to calm her down._

"_I'm scared." She said quietly. Her head still hiding in his shoulder now. "Ino told me this scary story where monsters come out when it thunders."_

_Kiba looked down at the girl who he cared for. His heart was beating so fast and his face felt really hot. He wasn't sure what was happening to him. He just knew that he liked Sakura, a lot._

"_It's ok." He spoke in a soft voice. "Ino only told you that story to scare you. There are no monsters." He said rubbing her head the same way his sister did for him when he was scared of something._

"_Really?" Sakura looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with trust, she trusted him completely that he was telling her the truth and not lying to her._

_Kiba liked that look. He wanted her to always look at him like that. "Yes. And even if there were, you don't have to worry. Kiba Inuzuka won't let any bad monster get his friends!" He announced trying to sound like a super hero, like the ones on TV._

"_Thank you, Kiba." Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist again. This time it wasn't because of fear, she was hugging him for making her feel better._

"_N-No Problem." Kiba knew that his heart would explode soon if it kept beating as fast as it was. "We're friends, I won't let anything hurt you Sakura." He promised her. He knew that no matter what the situation was, he would keep that promise. "Now let's go to bed before my mom comes in and starts screaming." He was not joking. His mother really would come in if she heard them up and not sleeping._

_The two kids plus Akamaru moved the blankets down and pillows around until they both found a comfy spot._

"_Kiba." Sakura called him from her spot on the bed. Because he knew that she was still scared, Kiba let her share his bed. Akamaru was curled up around her side, he was giving her comfort as well._

"_Yeah, what is it?" Kiba asked from his spot. He was sleeping right next to Sakura. He wanted to make her feel safe. This way if she was still scared or woke up in the middle of the night she could see that he was there with her._

"_Um…will…will you hold my hand?" She didn't look at him but she held out her hand for him._

"_Huh? What for?" He turned onto his side to look at her. He wondered if she was still scared of the monsters that Ino told her about. He was gonna have to talk to about that, he didn't like her scaring Sakura._

"_Because…Ino said that if the monsters do come, they'll go away if they see I'm holding hands with a friend." Sakura said still not looking at him. "She said that monsters get weak because of good things like friendship and love. So…can you hold my hand while I sleep?" She asked him again. Even though he told her there were no monsters she didn't want to take any chances._

_Kiba looked at her and smiled to himself. He reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. "Ok. I'll hold you hand and I won't let go." He promised her._

"_You swear?"_

"_I swear."_

"_Thank you!" Now that she was sure that no monsters would get her, she could go to sleep now. "Good night, Kiba." She said good night and closed her eyes letting sleep take over._

"_Night Sakura." Kiba watched as she fell asleep and listened to her breathing. He looked up at their hands and moved closer to her. Suddenly he felt like he needed to be close to her. He caught a whiff of her scent and smiled. He didn't know tat smelt so nice._

_/End Flashback/_

Kiba thought over the memory and rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. That was the first time he ever let a girl come over his house. He liked that Sakura had stayed the night with him, even if he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her the next morning. Apparently he was in such a deep sleep that he didn't hear his sister trying to wake him up so say goodbye to Sakura. He had woken up not five minutes after she left and he threw a tantrum at his sister for not trying harder to wake him up.

"I'm still amazed at how much of a deep sleep I was in. Sakura's scent calmed me so much that you would think I was in a coma." He mused to himself thinking everything over. "Well there's no point in just staying here. She's downstairs in person and waiting for me." He told himself jumping off his bed and running out of his room.

He ran down the stairs and smiled at the sight of Sakura, his mother, and sister all sitting at the table with Akamaru and Kuromaru lying under the table. The image was one he liked seeing, and one he hoped to seeing more often.

"Well look who finally left his room." Tsume commented when she saw her son. "Took you long enough." She added setting down the plates of food for her family and guest.

"Seriously, I was about to send Akamaru up there to check and see if you fell asleep in the bath again." Hana added in taking a sip of her drink.

Sakura giggled at what Hana. "He's fallen asleep in the bath?" She asked wanting more details.

"Oh yeah, you would think he would want to get out as fast as he could, but once in it's almost impossible to get him out. This little doggy just loves sitting in the bath and cleaning himself." Hana and Sakura laughed at the red face Kiba making his way over to them.

"Hana!" Kiba cried sitting next to Sakura. "Don't tell people things like that!"

"Why not?" Tsume took her own seat next to her daughter. "I tell everyone all the time. Since it was so hard to get you to take one when you were little, it's a miracle at how long you take them now."

Sakura hand to place a hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Kiba cried again praying that his sister and mother would stop. How was he supposed to show Sakura how cool he was if they keep telling embarrassing stories? Next thing you know they'll take out his naked baby pictures.

"Oh come on, Kiba." Sakura tried to calm him down. "You have to admit that it is a little funny." She said pulling some hair out of her eyes. She didn't have her headband on so her hair was falling free down her face. She was smiling at him and the light that he would always see when she smiled appeared around her.

Kiba had the sudden urge to run his fingers through her pink locks. He liked how soft they always looked, even after the second part of the Chunin exams, Sakura's hair to him looked good. Especially after she cut it too.

"By the way Sakura, do you normally use Minty Rainforest Mist Shampoo?" Hana asked her. "It smells so natural on you that it couldn't have been the first time you've used it."

Sakura nodded her head. "With extra body. It helps when I have to train for long hours with no break. My hair won't as gross to others and it smells nice too."

"I know what you mean. I use the same type, I can't have people coming into the vet and thinking I'm incapable because I bad looking hair." Hana replied smiling. "And you're right about the smell. It's one of the few types of shampoos that aren't to strong for ours noses." She added on.

'_Looks like Sakura really likes that type of shampoo? I am so using that stuff from now on. If Sakura likes it then I can like it too!'_Kiba thought taking a bite out of his dinner. Who knows, maybe wearing her favorite shampoo would work to his advantage.

"But it's not that easy to come by, I have to practically hunt it down when I go shopping." Hana said finishing up her own share of dinner.

"I know what you mean. Before I could never find it, but Shikamaru helped me find the spot where it always is." Sakura said not knowing she just upset Kiba.

'_Shikamaru? What the hell is doing helping Sakura finding shampoo? I should be the one helping her track it down. I'm the one with the nose! You would think it would be too troublesome for him, unless…Shikamaru likes Sakura too!'_ Kiba let out a low growl at the thought. He had never once smelt any sort of affection coming off the shadow user for Sakura, but that didn't mean he wasn't hiding it. Also Kiba didn't usually hang out with Shikamaru so he could never be sure if he did or didn't have any sort of feelings for Sakura. _'Well even if he did, it wouldn't matter. No way I'm gonna let some lazy bum try and win over Sakura.'_He told himself thinking of a plan that would let him know if Shikamaru did indeed like Sakura, and if he did, what he would to convince him that Sakura was his.

Tsume and Kuromaru were able to sense Kiba's anger before anyone could. They knew the cause of it too. What Sakura said about Shikamaru helping her find something she liked and used.

"Tell me Sakura, are you and Shikamaru dating? Is that why he helped you find your shampoo?" Tsume asked and Kuromaru moved over to Kiba. He growled up at him, telling him to stop growling and calm down.

"No." Sakura shook her head. "Shikamaru and I aren't dating, we're just friends. The only reason he helped me was because Ino was annoying him a lot one day and I gave him advice on how to calm her down. In return he helped me find my shampoo." She told them the truth about Shikamaru and her shampoo.

Kiba let out a sigh of relief. _'Good, Shikamaru doesn't like Sakura. He just wanted to know how to shut Ino up. Can't say I blame him, that girl is so loud sometimes.'_He thought crossing his arms.

"Well I better check on your clothes now, Sakura. They should be done by now." Hana got up from her seat and headed off to check on Sakura's clothes.

"I better get going too. Gotta train a few new pups." Tsume and Kuromaru left soon after that, leaving Kiba and Sakura alone together.

"So…" Kiba rubbed the back of his head trying to think of something to say. He finally had some alone time with Sakura, and he couldn't think of anything to say.

"So…" Sakura was the same way as him. She knew that she had to talk to him about what had happened at the hospital but she didn't know how to start it.

"Arf. Arf." Kiba looked down to see Akamaru motioning for them to go into the back yard.

"You wanna go in backyard? We have one of those garden hanging chairs, we can look up at the sky and talk." He offered silently thanking Akamaru for helping him.

Sakura liked the idea and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Cool. Let's go." Kiba stood up from his chair and waited for Sakura to get up before he led her to his backyard and sat down on the garden hanging chair, Sakura sitting down next to him.

They sat in silence before Sakura broke it.

"Kiba?"

"Yeah, Sakura?"

"We need to talk."


	10. Everything

Chapter 10: Everything

Kiba held his breath at those words, he knew the real meaning of those words. Usually whenever a girl uses them it means she wants to break up with the guy. But how can they break up if they weren't even dating? Wasn't Sakura here to finish saying what she wanted to say at the hospital? That had to be the only reason why she came over tonight. He couldn't think of any other reason other then that.

"Ok, what do you wanna talk about?" He was trying to keep the atmosphere light and easy. He didn't want her to be nervous or scared or for her to run out again. He didn't know what he'd do if she ran away again. He'd probably chase after her and tackle her to the ground until she told him her feelings. He wasn't a genius but he knew that tackling a girl to the ground was not the way to win her over.

"Kiba…" Sakura took in a deep breath and kept her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. Her heart was beating so fast that she wasn't sure if she was breathing or not. She knew what she had to do, she needed to tell him the truth about what she wanted to say to him before. She had to explain everything to him, that she had feelings for him but she also liked Sasuke still. She didn't want him to think of anything weird or bad of her, besides she didn't even know if he had any sort of feelings for her. So far she hasn't seen any signs that he does. "Back at the hospital I had something important that I wanted to tell you but couldn't when the others walked in. Now I think I should continue and explain what it was I was going to say."

Kiba felt like his heart was going to pop out of his chest. It was beating so loud that he was sure that Sakura and everyone else in the compound could hear it. He moved closer to Sakura so that his hand was just barely touching her leg. "Sakura, you don't have to explain anything. I…" Sakura cut him off before he could finish.

"But I do." She finally turned to look at him and almost forgot what she was supposed to say. She was losing herself in his eyes, his eyes that were showing warmth and care. Eyes that were the complete opposite to what she normally see, eyes that make her feel different from what she normally feels. "I like you." She finally said it.

A wide grin spread out onto Kiba's face. The girl that he's loved ever since the moment he meant her finally told him that she liked him. So maybe she didn't say she loved him, it was fine. They still had a lot of time to get closer before she said it. She probably didn't say it because they only just became friends again, once they spent more time together then she probably would tell him that she loved him. But for now he would take the like and be together with her. "Sakura…" He moved his hand to grasp hold of hers, to tell her that he held the same feelings for her but she moved her hand away.

"There's more." She moved her hand away from his and turned back to stare back at the ground.

"Sakura?" This action was confusing him. Weren't they supposed to be moving closer to each other? She told him that she liked him so they should have been getting closer, but she was moving away from him. Was she scared that he was going to reject her? "Sakura I…" He had to tell her his feelings and reassure her that she wouldn't be rejected. He would never reject her, not ever.

But once again she cut him off before he could finish. "I do like you Kiba, a lot. But I still like Sasuke." She kept her eyes on the ground; she didn't want to look at him right now. She couldn't. "I know I probably sound stupid, saying I like two different guys, but I can't help it. I've been in love with Sasuke for a long time that I doubt the feeling would just go away because of my feelings for you." She took in a deep breath and finally turned around to face him. The look he was wearing was a look of confusion and hurt. She hurt him and she knew it. "I like you and want to be with you but I can't when I still like Sasuke. It's not fair to anyone for someone to say that they love them when their whole heart isn't into it."

Kiba understood her words and knew that she was speaking the truth but that didn't mean that didn't mean his heart wasn't in pain. She liked him but she still had feelings for Sasuke, so what does that mean? That they can never be together? That he would always be second best when it came to Sasuke?

When he didn't say anything she figured that he probably wouldn't. She should just leave him alone and try to pretend that none of this ever happened. "I should probably get going." She stood up to leave.

"No!" Kiba had to act fast. He couldn't let her leave, he had to make her stay and understand where she stands in his heart. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around until she was pulled into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair and wrapped his arms around her body keeping her close to him. "Sakura, I love you." He confessed his feelings to her after keeping them in for so long. "I've always loved you, that's why I would play with you and Ino when we were kids. Because I wanted to be near you but when I heard that you liked Sasuke it hurt too much to be near you so I stopped. I didn't want to accept that you liked him instead of me so I acted stupid and made you think that I hated you." He was babbling he knew it, but he needed her to understand his feelings. Maybe if he could help her understand them then maybe, just maybe, she would see that he's always been there and forget about her feelings for Sasuke.

"Kiba…" She didn't know what to say. She had no idea that he cared for her like that, she never knew of his feelings for her. How could she? She was always busy focusing on Sasuke that she ignored Kiba and didn't see his feelings for her. She tried to move away so she could face him but he just tightened his grip on her.

"Don't go. Don't pull away from me, please just stay here with me." He begged her. He finally had her in his arms and he didn't to let her go. He didn't want her to go back to Sasuke. "Sakura I've always been there for you, I've always cared for you. No him. Sasuke doesn't care about you, I've seen how he treats you. He's always belittling you. No real man would ever treat woman he cares about that way." He relaxed his grip on her body and moved his hands to her cheeks, making her look up at him. He needed to see her eyes; he needed to see what she was feeling. "I love you. I can protect you, I've always been there for you, so please, forget about Sasuke and just be with me." He lowered his head down and moved his lips closer to hers. He would always be there for her; he wanted, needed, her to see that. She just had too.

Sakura did understand what Kiba was telling her, he loved her and wanted her to be only be with him. Wanted her to look only at him. She could understand because for so long that's how she was with Sasuke. She moved her hand to his chest and placed them there. She had to make things clear for both of them.

Kiba felt her hands on his and thought that meant she would push him away. He stopped to look at her, he still had his hands on her cheeks keeping her head facing him. Did he over do it? Maybe he shouldn't have told her everything, he should have just kept his mouth shut and go with what she said. At least then she would still want to be near him, now he probably freaked her out and made her hate him.

"Sorry." He let his hands fall from her face and moved them back to his side. "I shouldn't have said all that." He felt like an idiot. He didn't even want to think of how he looked to her. He wanted so badly to scream and cry, to make pain that was engulfing his heart leave him. He should probably just let her leave before he does anything else.

"No." Her voice stopped him. Her eyes looked up into his hurt ones and somehow erased the pain that was once in them. "I'm glad you did." She stepped closer reaching up on her toes and placed her lips on top of his.

Kiba's eyes widen in shock at the sudden contact and his whole body froze. Sakura was kissing him. His cheeks were so hot that he was sure Sakura could feel the heat radiating off of them.

'_Sakura, she's kissing me and I'm just standing here like some stupid statue!'_He acted quickly before she could pull away. Kiba placed his hand on Sakura's shoulders and responded to the kiss, his mind became on big blank, all he could concentrate on was Sakura and the kiss he was sharing with her. Everything was perfect. His feelings and heart felt so alive and so calm at the same time. Her kiss had such an effect on him, he couldn't believe it.

When the need for air became too great they broke the kiss but Kiba never moved his hand off her shoulders and Sakura kept her hands on his chest. They were staring up into each others eyes trying to catch their breath. The world around them disappeared and only the two of them remained. It was amazing how one kiss could have such an effect on them. They wondered if that would always happen or was it just a first time deal.

"That was…" Sakura didn't know what she should say. She's never kissed anyone before, and she didn't think her first kiss would have such an effect on her. Would she feel this way if she kissed Sasuke? For some reason she doubted she would feel this warm in Sasuke's embrace.

"Amazing." Kiba knew there was probably a stupid grin on is face but he didn't care. He had his first kiss with Sakura and it was great. He felt like he was invincible, like he could take the title of Hokage right at this very moment.

"Yeah." Sakura's cheeks were starting to match her hair. She wasn't really sure why she kissed him but she was glad that she did. It felt…right. "I know this is probably confusing, after all that I said before but I wanted to do it. I wanted to kiss you, I mean for a guy who's loved me all his life, he should get the honor of having my first kiss." She giggled at her little joke. She looked up at him for a moment, suddenly she felt very embarrassed but she didn't look away. "I can't say I love you yet because I don't want too."

"Huh?" That caught Kiba off guard. She didn't want to say she loved him? What was that supposed to mean? Was she trying to play with him or make him solve some weird riddle?

"I will only say the words "I love you" when I can put my whole heart into it. If I say it but all my heart isn't in it, then it's nothing more then empty words." She explained to him. She would say the words 'Love' to Kiba or Sasuke unless she could put everything into those words. Whoever she said them too, she wanted to say them when she could give that person everything.

Kiba nodded his head saying he understood. He knew what she wanted, it was what he wanted too. To give a person your whole heart and have them accept it and they give you theirs. "So what do we do until that time?" He asked her. What were they supposed to do? They couldn't just ignore their feelings. Now that he's finally spoken his he didn't want to have to hide them anymore.

"Not really sure." She didn't have an answer for him or herself. She never imagined herself in this kind of situation. Loving two people, this was something new to her. "I guess for now, we act like we normally would and see what happens." It was the best answer she could give. It was the only answer she could think of, this whole thing was confusing and she needed more time to think properly about what to do.

"Do we have too?" He whined. He was glad that he at least had a chance now but he still didn't want her to be with Sasuke. "How about instead you and I go out on a date and get to know each other even more?" He suggested with a goofy grin. He thought it was a good idea, it would not only keep her away from Sasuke and give him a better chance at wining her heart, but he would finally get a date with Sakura, something he's always wanted to do, and show her what a good boyfriend he would make.

Sakura laughed at Kiba's attempts at trying to woo her and moved away. "Kiba, you're starting to sound like Naruto." She giggled and went back inside the Inuzuka compound.

Kiba followed after her and huffed. He was annoyed that she turned him down and compared him to Naruto. He was nothing like that little idiot. "I'm nothing like that fool." He mumbled loud enough for her to hear him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the back of her head. Even though they were inside and there wasn't any wind he could still pick up her scent. She smelled of cherry blossom and cherries, his favorite.

Sakura giggled again and turned around to look at him. "Well right now you do, he's always asking me for a date that for a moment I thought it was Naruto again." She told him not knowing how her words affected him.

Kiba growled when she said that. He knew that Naruto liked Sakura, but hearing her say it made him angry. How dare he ask Sakura out when she was his! "Naruto, that little…!"

"Sakura!" Hana came in between them, Sakura's clothes in her arms. "Your clothes are all clean and ready for you to put on. You can change in my room." Before she could even reply Hana pulled Sakura with her up to her room.

"Hey!" Kiba moved to follow after them but Kuromaru stopped him. "Kuromaru, move it!" Kiba tried to walk past him but the wolfish canine refused to let him pass.

"Hold it, pup. If you approach the girl the way you are now, you'll say something stupid like you always do and it'll be like everything that's happened tonight didn't." He growled at Kiba making his step back into the kitchen.

"But…" Kiba tried to argue back but Kuromaru just gave him a warning growl, telling him to shut up and listen to him. "Fine." He sighed in defeat and sat at the table eating a bowl of cherries that his sister had left out for him.

He had eaten half the bowl by the time Sakura returned.

"I see that you still like cherries." She had her regular clothes on as well as her leaf village head band. "I remember you would always bring them as a snack when we were still in the academy." She reached out and took a cherry for herself.

"Yeah, well I can't help it. They're sweet and I love 'em." He popped three cherries in his mouth and smiled when he tasted their juices. He always loved eating them, they were so sweet and chewy. He could live on cherries for the rest of his life if someone made him.

"Yeah, I know." Sakura took a few more for herself. "I remember how you tackled Chouji to the ground when he stole a few from you." They both laughed remembering that incident.

"Yeah, Iruka-sensei was really mad at me that day. He yelled at me for the rest of class." Kiba rubbed the back of his neck thinking back to his old teacher. He was use to getting in trouble but that day Iruka was ready to kill him. He wouldn't stop yelling at him and if he remembers correctly he had to clean the entire classroom for punishment. "Thought I would lose my hands after all that cleaning he made me do."

Sakura had a look of wonder on her face. "I still don't get it." She said.

"Don't get what?" He asked finishing off the bowl. There were only two left and they were in his hands. He would have to remind Hana to buy more for him.

"You and your cherries. You would be furious if anyone ever tried to eat your cherries or even asked you to share them but you never had any problems giving them to me. I never got that." She said looking at him for an answer. She had only ever asked him about this once and the only reply she had gotten was just a simple "I don't mind with you". "So why only me?"

Kiba looked at her and was ready to scream. Did she really forget everything he had just told her outside? "Are you kidding me! How the heck are you supposed to be the brightest Kunoichi of our class?" He couldn't believe she was asking him this after everything that happened outside.

Kuromaru, who was resting under the table, snorted at her question. "Just explain it to her, pup. You aren't the easiest ninja to understand." He said going back to his nap.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Kiba glared down at Kuromaru, who only yawned in response and ignored him.

"Kiba?" Sakura brought back his attention to her. "Are you going to tell me or not?" She asked him again waiting for an answer.

Kiba looked at her and sighed, he still held the two cherries in his hand. He grasped hold of Sakura's right hand and dropped one of the two cherries in her palm. "I would only give them to you because I liked you. I wanted you to like me too so I would do everything I possible could to impress you." He explained eating his final cherry. He had to admit that it was much easier to explain his feelings now, if he had known how easy it would be then he would have confessed along time ago.

Sakura stared at Kiba and listened to his words. All that time he was with her, he wanted her to be impressed with him. He wanted her to praise him because her opinion mattered to him. She looked down at the cherry in her hand and smiled down at it. She never knew being loved by someone could feel this nice.

"Kiba." Hearing his name, he turned his head in her direction opening his mouth to ask what she wanted. With his mouth open, Sakura placed the cherry inside and placed one finger on his lips. "Kiba Inuzuka, you are one great ninja." She stood up from her seat and left the Inuzuka compound and headed home. She had to get ready for tomorrow, she and Ino were going to meet up for the Chunin exams and she had something to tell her childhood friend.

Kiba watched her get up and leave, the cherry still inside his mouth. The feeling of her finger still residing on his lips. He sudden felt very light and very hot. At that moment he wanted nothing more then to chase after her, wrap his arms around her, and tell her to stay. To remain in his arms for the rest of their lives. His feelings have never felt as strong as they do now, his love for Sakura has grown even more in this one day.

When the front door closed and Sakura's scent began to disappear, he finally swallowed the cherry placed inside his mouth. "Best Cherry Ever." He got up from his seat and went to his room. He wanted more time to think about everything that had passed between the two. Kiba wanted to laugh at himself once he laid down on his bed. He would normally never think over something this much, but this was Sakura and she deserved his full attention.

The entire night's events passed though his mind and he made a decision. One way or another, he vowed that he would make Sakura fall in love with him. He knew that he already made this vow before but this time it was different. He would work harder to win her affection, he would become strong to keep her safe from jerks like Sasuke and anyone else who wanted to hurt her. He would do whatever he had to do, even becoming a rouge ninja, to keep Sakura safe and be able to hold her heart.

"Arf!" Akamaru jumped up on the bed next to his master and laid down next to him. He understood what Kiba was going through and wanted to help him anyways he could.

Happy that his companion was with him, Kiba began to pet Akamaru's head. "Hey buddy." He scratched Akamaru behind his ear, his favorite place to be scratched and smiled. "Guess what boy, I've found my mate." He told his companion his choice. He chose her as his mate and would protect her as that. He would remain loyal to her until the end of his days. Nothing could ever change that.

Downstairs Tsume and Kuromaru were in the kitchen discussing what they should do. They had heard and seen everything that had happened between Kiba and Sakura and though they approved of the girls actions and words, were more then annoyed that she was toying with his feelings.

"The girl knows he loves her and yet she still wants that Uchiha brat." Tsume huffed from her seat. She wasn't necessarily mad at Sakura, she could smell the confusion in the girl and the feelings she held for her son were genuine, but damn it pissed her off that she was still chasing after that Uchiha.

"The girl is too confused; she doesn't know what her feelings are anymore." Kuromaru said to his mistress. He could also sense Sakura's confusion and her feelings. "The pup too, he's acting like a new born puppy who's trying to win over their owner with their cute face." He said looking up towards Kiba's room.

"I couldn't agree more." Hana joined them at the table. "He goes from puppy to full adult canine." She folded her arms on the table and looked towards her mother. "He just announced to Akamaru that he's chosen Sakura as his mate." She told them what she heard Kiba say from inside his room. She had wanted to talk to him and see if he wanted any help with Sakura when she heard him tell Akamaru his decision. "I know we were joking with him before about finding his mate but it looks like Kiba is serious. If he sees the chance, I'm positive he'll try and mark her."

Tsume held her gaze up to her son's room. Her hearing and sense of smell told her that he was already sleeping at this point. "He's only a young pup and he's already acting like a full grown male Inuzuka. We'll have to watch him closely from now on." She said moving her gaze to her daughter.

"I thought the kid would mark her more then once this evening." Kuromaru said jumping onto a chair to join the two girls at the table. "He may go into heat sooner then we would expect him too." He added.

Hana and Tsume nodded saying they agreed with that. "Kiba needed to be taught how to control his urges now. Now that he knows he has a chance of being with her, his primal instincts will kick in. He'll become even more protective of the girl, any male threat he'll want to get rid of, he may even try and mark her out in public if it means she'll be his." Tsume crossed her arms thinking about her son and what he may do.

"What should we do then?" Hana asked her mother. She was worried about her brother and she didn't want to see him get into trouble. His feelings for Sakura for so strong that she could almost feel them herself.

"Train him. Teach him to control his body and fight off these urges until it is the right time." Tsume stood up from her seat, Kuromaru did the same, and moved to go to her own room. "Right now that's all we can do for him."

Hana watched them go and sat there for a moment. She was thinking about her brother and Sakura. Her and her mother along Kuromaru and Akamaru had watched the two when they were outside. They were able to see and hear everything that went on between them. Kiba loved Sakura and though her feelings were mostly that of confusion, Hana could feel the love that Sakura held for Kiba. She knew her mother had sensed it too but she doubted that Kiba had felt it, he was to busy concentrating on other things at the time.

"Kiba, I hope everything works out for you." She stood from her seat and followed what the rest of her family did. She went to her room and fell asleep.

* * *

Morning came fast for Kiba, he jumped out of his bed and quickly changed out of the clothes from last night into new one. Not surprisingly it was the clothing that Sakura had worn yesterday. He had slept so peaceful because of her scent that he didn't want it to leave him jus yet. Well there was that, but it was also because Sakura had worn them and that made him want to wear them. It was like he was in her presences, like she was embracing his whole body.

"Come on, Akamaru. We'd better hurry or else we'll miss the Chunin Exams." Akamaru and Kiba exited the room and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. He didn't want to miss the Chunin exams or Sakura. He was still confused on where he was in her heart but whenever he thought about it his mind went back to the kiss they shared. He was hoping that they would meet up at the exams today. He could already see hoe the day would turn out.

They would meet up with each other on the way to the arena, sit next to each other while they cheered on Naruto and the rest of their friends. With all the excitement going on that would mean there probably wouldn't be a lot of room so they would be close together. Maybe he'd wrap is arm around her shoulders. From there they would talk about whatever interested them and as they got closer and closer to each other, they would lean in and share another kiss.

"Kiba!"

His mother's shrieks brought him out of his daydreams. He looked to see her arms crossed and her staring at him.

"You need to focus or else you'll become lost in your own thoughts." She threw an apple at him. Luckily he was able to catch it.

"Yeah, whatever." He didn't have time for this. He had to go and find Sakura so his daydream could become reality.

"I swear…" Tsume ranted on to herself thinking of how clueless her son really was. "I hope you didn't forget that you promised Hinata that you two would meet up and go to the arena together?" She eyed him out of the corner of her eyes.

Kiba froze at her words. He had forgotten. He was so busy thinking about Sakura and his plans to be with her, that he completely forgot about Hinata. "Aw man!" He ran a hand through his hair. He didn't have his headband on, he didn't want to smell anything on him other the Sakura.

Tsume sighed at her son. He really was a clueless pup. "You'd better go and meet the girl before she thinks you stood her up." She left her son after that hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid on his way to pick up on his teammate.

Kiba let out a sigh of his own as he left his house. "Well there go my plans of getting together with Sakura." He said aloud watching the clouds go by. He really wanted to see her again, even though they saw each other last night, he wanted to see her again. He loved being in her presences. "Maybe I'll get lucky and meet up with her on my way to get Hinata." Kiba looked down at Akamaru, asking for his opinion.

"Arf! Af!" Akamaru gave his response and shook his head.

"Yeah, you're right. No way, I would get that lucky." Kiba sighed thinking how bad his luck in love was. He only hoped that he saw her after the exams were over. Maybe they could garb a bite to eat.


	11. Things Are Changing

Chapter 11: Things Are Changing

Sakura looked up at the sky as she and Ino made their way towards the arena where the Chunin exams were being held. The whole time she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened the night before. Her mind had not stopped thinking about Kiba even after she left the Inuzuka compound. She didn't even get any rest in her dreams last night; they kept repeating everything that had happened between her and Kiba late last night. She was keeping an eye out for a head of brown hair and red triangles ever since she woke up this morning.

"Sakura?" Her attention was brought back by a hand waving in front of her face. "You sure you're ok?" Ino asked looking at Sakura; she looked at the pink hair girl with worry. It wasn't like her to be this out of it.

Sakura gave Ino a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm ok. I'm just thinking about a few things that's all." She said turning her attention back at the arena. They just made it inside and took their seats; they had a perfect view of where the fighting would take place.

"Is that so?" Ino held a knowing look on her face. "Look I know being on his team probably made you think you're special, but get real billboard brow, Sasuke won't spare you a glance one he gets here. He'll be to busy looking at me." Ino said pushing some of her hair out of her eyes. She was trying to get some life out of Sakura; it really wasn't like her to be so out of it. She knew she was worried about Sasuke, Ino was worried about him herself, but that's no reason for her to be acting so weird today.

"Sasuke?" She looked at Ino and suddenly remembered about her other teammate.

'_That's right. I forgot all about Sasuke and the curse mark Orochimaru put on him! I completely forgot about both of them!'_Sakura wanted to kick herself for forgetting something so important. It was at the start of the second part of the Chunin exams where Orochimaru first marked Sasuke, claiming that he would later see him out for power. How could she forget? Orochimaru could reappear at any moment to try and get Sasuke!

"Sorry, Ino. Guess my mind is just so wrapped up in him, I'm just a little out of it today." Sakura said trying to cover up what she was really thinking about before. She needs to be focused now; she needs to be on the look out for Orochimaru.

Ino wasn't buying it. She's known Sakura long enough to know when she is lying and when she isn't. And she is so lying right now. "Sakura, what re you trying to hide?" Ino crossed her arms and looked directly into Sakura's eyes. She was daring her to try and lie to her.

Sakura jumped back and tried to avoid looking into Ino's eyes. If she did, she would have no choice but to tell Ino everything, and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to tell her friend or not. Ino was known as a girl, who loved to hear new gossip, but she was also known for spreading it around faster then a wild fire spreads. "What are you trying to say? I'm not hiding anything!" Sakura moved her eyes in every direction, trying to avoid Ino's look. This wasn't turning into a good day for her.

"Sakura…!" Ino gave her friend a warning. She knew she was lying and would do whatever she had to do, to get the information out of her.

Sakura knew she lost. She may as well tell her now rather then later where things could be worse. "Oh, alright." She began her story of what happened with Kiba. She told her about what happened at the academy, the Chunin exams, the hospital, and what had happened yesterday at his house.

"What? Kiba told you he loved you!" Ino screamed jumping in her seat. She hadn't expected that to come out of Sakura's mouth.

"Ssh!" Sakura clamped a hand over her friend's mouth, pulling her back down to her seat. "Be quite. I don't want the whole village to know." She told her friend looking around to see if anyone heard them. It didn't look like anyone did so for now she was safe.

"But…But…Sakura! What did you say?" Ino pressed for more information. Since she figured out about Kiba's feelings for Sakura back when they were finishing up at the academy, she's always wondered if or when Kiba would tell Sakura.

"I…well…I told him that I liked him." Sakura had a small blush on her face and was staring at her hands. "But I told him I still like Sasuke so even if I wanted too, I couldn't be with him." She mumbled the last part. She didn't realize it before but she sounded really stupid and selfish.

"Why would you tell him that? Are you crazy!" Ino looked at Sakura and was suddenly confused. "I don't get it. I thought you just said that you told Kiba you like him."

"I do." Sakura said looking at Ino. "I do, but I still like Sasuke, so it wouldn't be fair to be with Kiba if half the time I'm thinking about someone else." She said wondering what she would be like the next time she saw one of the two boys. Would she be as confused as she is now, or would she suddenly find her answer?

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ino hated to admit it, but what Sakura was saying made some sense to her. If she was in the same situation as Sakura, she would probably make the very same decisions. "So what are you gonna do for now? I mean it's not like you can avoid the two guys. You're on the same team as Sasuke, and sooner or later, you'll find yourself alone with Kiba." She told her looking down at the arena where the fighters started to gather around.

"That's the thing. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do." Sakura decided she might as well tell Ino everything if she was going to help her. "I thought when it comes down to love you're just supposed to know which guy is the one for you. But it's just the opposite for me." She looked up at the sky watching as the birds flew freely around her. "For the longest time, I've always believed that I love Sasuke and he was my dream. But when it comes to Kiba…" She paused choosing her words carefully.

"Well…?" Ino pushed her to continue. "What about Kiba?"

Sakura looked away from the sky and glanced at Ino. "Nothing. It's just Kiba. It's like I juts know who he is, what he likes, I just know him and I like feeling that way." She said simply watching as the contestants started to gather. Everyone was there but Naruto and Sasuke. That made her worry even more what could happen during the fighting today.

'_Sasuke…Naruto…please tell me you didn't meet up with that snake!'_She thought desperately picturing Orochimaru wearing the same look he had on the day he told Sakura that Sasuke would go to him for power. That thought made her worry more and clenched her fist in her lap, trying not to show just how nervous she really was.

'_Would Sasuke really leave? No he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't. I know we aren't exactly close but we're still teammates and we're a lot closer now then we were in the beginning. He wouldn't leave us…right?'_She didn't know how to answer that. She wasn't sure if she even really wanted too. Sakura knew everything about Sasuke, almost every girl in their class did, but one thing Sakura knew for sure was that Sasuke wanted to get stronger. He wants to get stronger so he could beat his brother. _'Would Sasuke really go to Orochimaru if he thought it could help him with killing his brother? I'm not sure anymore. He…Sasuke…I don't know what I'm supposed to think about him anymore. Things are changing. Fast.'_She thought to herself praying that nothing would happen today.

"Sakura?" Ino saw the look in Sakura's eyes. A look of pure worry and fright rested in her green orbs. She didn't know what Sakura was so afraid of, maybe it was because Naruto was fighting against Neji? "You gonna be alright?"

Finally hearing that Ino was talking to her, Sakura nodded her head and forced out a smile. "Yeah, I'll be ok." She hated herself for sounding so stupid. She wouldn't be alright until this whole this with Sasuke and Orochimaru were over.

"That's good. Now you can focus on the fight now that you figured out your Sasuke/Kiba problem." Ino said in a very happy tone.

"Huh?" Sakura gave her a confused look. "When did I say I solved my Sasuke/Kiba problem? I told you, I don't know which one I like the most." She reminded her blonde friend wondering if she was even listening to her at all.

"And you did." Ino told her with a smile. "You said that when it comes to love, that you just know. Well you do know!"

"I do?" Sakura had no idea what Ino was trying to tell her.

"Yes! You said that when you think about Kiba that you just know who he is. That you just know, Kiba." Ino said repeating some of what Sakura told her.

Sakura just nodded her head, wondering where Ino was going with this. The whole thing was making her more and more confused. And it didn't help that her dream kept popping up in her head, making it harder for her to concentrate on what Ino was talking about.

"Well that's it!" Ino shouted like she just solved the end to world hunger. "You just know Kiba. Just like you said that that's what love is. You just know."

'_I just know…' _She thought it over and somehow it made so much sense to her.

Somehow it just all started to fit inside her head and her heart. Sakura was beginning to understand exactly what her heart wanted.

"I understand now." She said with a bright smile. "I finally understand what my heart has been telling me for so long now. I finally know now that the one I really love is…!" Sakura stopped speaking when she felt something on her feet. She looked down at the ground and saw a brown snake circling her feet. "AHH!" She cried and kicked the snake away.

"Sakura!" Ino screamed next jumping in her seat when she saw the snake herself. "You ok?" She asked trying not to shiver. Snakes freaked her out!

Sakura didn't answer her. She was still looking at her feet, where the snake once was, taking in deep breathes. _'That snake…'_Her mind began to remember what was going on around her. _'It looked exactly like the snake that attacked us in the Forest of Death. Only smaller!' _Sakura's mind started flashing images of what took place during the exam. The snake that had attacked them, the three sound-nin, and Orochimaru marking Sasuke with his curse mark.

'_What am I thinking? This is no time to be thinking about things like that! Not while that monster is still around, and after Sasuke.'_She could hear Orochimaru's voice clearly in her head. Him telling her how Sasuke would leave them all and go to him for power. _'Get a hold of yourself, Sakura! There's no time for that sort of thing. I have to make sure that Sasuke won't leave before I can even think about that.'_She told herself shaking away all didn't involve keeping Sasuke in the village.

Ino was watching her friend and was as confused as ever. Sakura was acting very strange to her and she wanted to know what was happening. "Hey? Are you sure…?"

"Where are those too?" Sakura suddenly perked up and looked a little annoyed. "They're going to miss their fights if they don't get over here soon." She said with a little sigh watching everyone get into place down in the arena.

Ino blinked a few times in confusion to the sudden change in Sakura's mood but let it go. "You know Naruto, he's probably sleeping still." Ino just rolled her eyes thinking about Naruto and how he was probably just waking up now and would be running to the final competition in his pajamas. "It may be like Naruto to be late, but it's not at all like Sasuke. I wonder where he is." She looked all around for a pair of black hair but saw none that belonged to Sasuke. She let out a deep sigh. "He's probably going to make a dramatic entrance!" She said with a small blush thinking of how cool Sasuke will look when he shows up.

Sakura looked back down at her lap again and once again looked worried. The image she got of Sasuke's grand entrance was of him fighting with Orochimaru. _'Please don't let it be that!'_She silently prayed that he was for once just running late like Naruto.

Ino looked around again as everyone was lined up behind the Procter. "What's going on? Where is everyone? This is about to get started." She said, thinking how weird it was that so many contestants were missing.

'_Yeah, what's going on? Sasuke, and even Naruto are no where to be seen.'_Sakura didn't like this. She was starting to get a very bad feeling about all of this. Looking around her, she searched for any signs of Kiba. Somehow just knowing that he was there would make her feel better; if not safer knowing that there were people she could rely on. Her search was in vain though. She saw some Inuzukas, but none were Kiba.

'_But where is he? His teammate is fighting in this, so Kiba should be here.'_She thought, once again looking fro him and Akamaru.

Her thoughts, however, stopped thinking of Kiba when she started to hear something. It sounded like something big was coming and there was screaming.

"Hey Ino?" She called for her attention.

"Yeah? What's up?" Ino asked looking at Shikamaru, silently screaming at him to stop looking around like an idiot and concentrate.

"Do you hear something?" She asked the noise was getting louder and louder.

Ino listened for a moment but shook her head. "No. I don't hear anything."

Was she hearing things? "Oh. But…!"

She was interrupted when Naruto came flying into the arena and crashing down where the fighters were all lined up. He lied there for a moment, looking very dizzy and very tired.

"Naruto!" Sakura didn't know when she was ever so happy to see the blonde knuckle-head before, but she was really glad that he finally arrived.

"Yeah, but he's totally late. Of course." Ino added not feeling the same happy feeling that Sakura had for the ninja.

"Well who cares." Sakura didn't, she was just glad that he was there. "At least he made it."

"Yeah, but what's he talking about down there?" Ino asked listening to him yell at them about something. A thing of stampeding bulls? "Dumb fool." She muttered rolling her eyes.

Sakura only gave a weak chuckle as the proctor scolded Naruto and Shikamaru. She didn't know when she started to care about Naruto so much, but she did now. It might have been during their time in the Forest of Death. Naruto had shown her and Sasuke a whole new side of himself. A side that showed them both just how powerful and reliable he really was.

Her eyes, now bright with happiness, searched the arena one more for her other teammate but were darken when she saw no sign of him. She had hoped that he would arrived with Naruto, but that wasn't the case. Sasuke was still nowhere to be found.

'_Where is Sasuke? And why did he sneak out of his hospital room?'_Her mind flashed back to the empty room in the hospital that Sasuke was supposed to be resting in.

"But maybe he didn't leave? Maybe somebody took him?" She muttered to herself, the feeling of dread washing over her body. She didn't know what she was supposed to do anymore. Sasuke made her promise to tell no one about the curse mark, but she was starting to think that she should now.

"Hey Sakura?' Ino turned to face her friend. "I know that you're worried about Sasuke, but come on. Don't be such a lump, aren't you at least going to cheer Naruto on?"

Sakura thought over what Ino was saying and forced out a big smile. "You're right." Naruto was her teammate too and she should at least cheer him on.

Ino, happy that Sakura listened to her, turned her attention back to the arena. "That's more like it. Not that the runt has a hope in hell against Neji." She said thinking of how quickly the match would end. Naruto may have beaten Kiba, but Neji was a genius.

"He's not that bad." Sakura said back, not liking how Ino was talking bad about Naruto. She didn't understand just how far he has really gotten from his days back in the academy.

"Are you kidding?" Ino had to stop the laugh that anted to escape. "Not that bad, is that the best you can do?"

Sakura just sighed and looked down at Naruto. She didn't want to say it, but she was worried for him. She knew just how strong Neji was from all the rumors, but Naruto was strong too. She just had to believe that he could win this, that he wasn't what everyone kept saying he was.

'_Naruto…win this!' _She silently cheered waiting for the match to start. She didn't know it but things are changing for all of them now. This match was only the starting point of that change that would happen with everyone in the leaf village.

* * *

Kiba Inuzuka let out a deep sigh once he was away from his house and heading towards the meeting place of where Hinata was probably waiting for him. He felt bad for making her wait, but he couldn't help it. It was out of pure instincts that he went to Sakura's house first, to see if maybe she was running late and didn't leave yet. Too bad that wasn't the case.

"Man, this stinks." He sighed to Akamaru, who was resting in his hood. "And here I hoped this exam would be the perfect opportunity to get loser to Sakura!" He cried taking another whiff of his jacket. The one that Sakura had worn the night before at his house. He couldn't get enough of her scent, it had never been so close to him before and he was inhaling as much as he could.

'_I wonder if it would be like this if Sakura and I started to live together?'_He let his imagination start to flow, thinking of how his life would be like if he and Sakura lived together like a real couple.

He would wake up in the morning, Sakura sleeping right beside him in their bed, bodies tangled together from sleep. He would breathe in her wonderful scent and wake her up with a god morning kiss. Then they would move downstairs where she would cook him and Akamaru breakfast, humming a happy tune the whole time. They would eat together, laughing and talking about their dreams and what they would be doing that morning. Then Kiba would get ready for work, while Sakura stayed home to take care of their kids. He would say goodbye to all five of their kids before leaving, but not before he got a goodbye kiss from his wife.

Kiba blushed at the fantasy, wishing that it was real. He knew that he was only thirteen and way too young for marriage, but he couldn't really help it. He found the woman he wanted to mate with, so fantasies like that were bound to pop up in his head. He just really wished that they would come true!

"One day…" Kiba looked up into the sky. "I'll make sure everyone of these damn fantasies comes true! Sakura will forget all about Sasuke and give all her love and attention to me!" He vowed as he entered the training ground. He could see Hinata in the distance and remembered that he kept her waiting longer then he would have liked.

"Hey Hinata! Sorry I'm so late." He called when he saw his teammate leaning against one of the wooden posts that were there. "Oh well. Shino's match isn't until later anyways." He had one hand in his pocket, waiting for Hinata to respond so they could get going. He wanted to move and see Sakura again before some other person, another guy, tried sitting next to her.

Hinata remained silent, not saying a word to Kiba. "Huh?" He knew she was shy but she usually talked to him. "Hey, what's with you?" He walked closer to her still form; she seemed to be staring in one certain direction. He looked back and forth between Hinata and what she was looking at. "Hmm? What? What is it?" He looked to but he didn't see anything there.

'_Ok, this is weird. Even for Hinata.'_He thought waving a hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" Hinata finally snapped out of it.

"It's 'bout time you came too." He replied with a small smile. "Let's go." He pushed her along, not wanting to waste anymore time. They were late enough for the exams and he didn't want to miss seeing Shino's match, or seeing Sakura.

"K-Kiba?" Hinata tired to get him to stop pushing her. "I-I can w-walk." She muttered looking at her hands.

"Wha…?" Kiba suddenly realized what he was doing and stopped pushing Hinata. "Sorry. I just want to get there." He said rubbing the back of his head

Hinata nodded and walked along side Kiba as they made their way to the arena. There weren't that many people that were still coming in and they saw that a lot of the seats were filled up. They looked around but only saw filled rows. When they came across the row that Sakura was in, Kiba gave a small whimper when he saw that there were no open seats. There goes his plan of getting close to her during the fights.

'_I'll just have to catch her after the fights.'_He thought continuing his searches for two seats. It took them a while but he finally found them, right in the front row too.

"Hey Hinata. Look, these seats are free." He pointed out standing next to the only two open spots.

Hinata walked down a few steps and smiled. "Oh, thanks." They took their seats and watched as Naruto and Neji stood waiting for their match to begin.

"I think is going to be an interesting match." Kiba said hoping the fight would start soon. He wanted to see just what Naruto would do against Neji. He didn't think the kid had it in him to go so far, but he proved Kiba wrong. Naruto really did get a lot stronger then he ever thought he would.

'_I guess that's one reason why, Sakura kept cheering him on.'_Kiba thought stealing a glance in Sakura's direction. He may not have been as close to her as he would have liked, but he was glad that she was still in his line of vision. As long as he could still see her, he would be able to relax. For now. One they started going out; he would need to be by her side almost all the time. He couldn't have some stupid male fool, namely Sasuke, trying to seduce her.

"Who would have believed that little squirt would have survived this long." A Chunin know as, Kotetsu Hagane, said with a smirk.

"Yeah. He's been one lucky kid so far, but his lucks about to run out." His partner known as, Izumo Kamizuki, replied wearing the same smirk.

The two were watching Naruto and Neji, waiting for the fight between the two Genin to start too.

"He'll never survive this one." Izumo added.

"Yeah, it's gonna be painful." Kotetsu replied. "Going up against one of the Hyūga clan. He doesn't have a chance."

Kiba listened in on them; Hinata was as well and glaring at them for saying that stuff about Naruto. Kiba only smirked at their ignorance. _'Yeah, I thought that too. At first. And look what happened. He's out there and I'm sitting up here on my butt.'_He thought thinking how Naruto was gonna prove them wrong.

Akamaru's whimpers brought his mind away from the two Chunin, and onto what his dog was telling him. "Huh? Yeah, Akamaru, what is it?" He asked him as his companion told him of what was bothering him.

"What the…? Are you sure?" Kiba gasped at what Akamaru told him.

He looked all around him, moving his eyes from one spot to the next. _'Where…?'_He searched on. He finally spotted what he was searching for. Moving his head to the side, to get a better look at what he was searching for. _'Up there!'_A man in a white and red mask was standing up at the top of the rows, watching down on the match as well. _'What the hell are the Anbu Black Ops doing here? Something's going on!'_He didn't know what it was, but he knew it had something to do with the Chunin exams. Ever since the preliminary rounds, he's had a bad feeling. Instantly he moved his gaze to Sakura, watching her look down at Naruto. His instincts were screaming at him to get closer to her, so he could protect her, but he knew he couldn't. It would cause too much of a scene and he didn't need for that to happen.

It was against him and what his instincts where screaming at him to do Kiba stayed put in his seat. He would sit and pretend that everything was normal, but would keep an eye out for anything that could cause them any harm. He kept a watchful eye on Sakura. One wrong move anywhere near her and he would be out of his seat in an instant. No way was he going to let something happen to her. Now that his feelings were finally out, Kiba would do everything he could do that would show Sakura that he was the right one for her.

"I w-wonder…" Hinata's voice caught Kiba's attention.

"Yeah? What is it?" He asked, thinking it was probably about Naruto. He knew about the crush she had on the blonde knuckle-head. He was able to smell it on her the day they were assigned to be on the same team. It was hard to hide stuff from an Inuzuka.

"S-Sasuke. He…h-he's not there." She said looking up where the rest of their fighters were. "O-Or th-the sound n-ninja." She added.

Kiba's eyes widen with shock for a moment before he looked where Hinata was looking. Sure enough, he didn't see Sasuke or the sound-nin. He didn't care about the sound-nin, he was no concern of Kiba, but Sasuke definitely was. If Sasuke wasn't here then what does that mean? Wasn't he supposed to be fighting in the next match?

He moved his gaze back to Sakura and it hardened when he smelt the dread coming off her. Even with their distance, he could smell it so strongly on her. _'Something is really wrong. Sakura is worried about something and it's not Naruto. It has something to do with Sasuke.'_He remembered back to the preliminary rounds, Sakura had the same smell on her there too. He didn't know what, but something happened to Sakura, and Sasuke, during their challenge in the Forest of Death.

'_Sakura…just what's happening to you and your team?'_Kiba questioned not knowing the horror that Sakura and her team faced during the second part of the Chunin exams.


	12. Scents

Chapter 12: Scents

The final part of the Chunin exams started with Naruto and Neji fighting in the first round. Sakura cheered for her teammate as he fought against what many called a genius at fighting. More then once, Sakura felt her heart stop when she saw Naruto get hit with one of Neji's attacks. But with every attack that he was hit with, Naruto came rushing right back at Neji, with more strength and determination then the last.

Off to the side, she could hear Kiba cheering for Naruto as well. That made her smile and feels a lot better during the match. She was glad that Kiba held no hard feelings for Naruto because of their match, and she was glad that he had faith in her teammate. But mostly she was just glad that Kiba was there, it somehow made her feel…safer. If she turned her head fully to the side, she could see a glimpse of his hair and Akamaru's fur.

Soon enough the match came to an end, with Naruto as the winner, "You did it!" Sakura cheered out for Naruto once the match was over. She was so impressed and so happy that Naruto had won. She looked all around her, laughing and smile when she saw that everyone was cheering and clapping for Naruto as well.

When he finally noticed the cheering, Naruto ran all around, smiling and cheering himself. Sakura watched him do this from her seat. _'Naruto just keeps getting stronger.'_Many of the girls in the stadium were saying how strong he was and Sakura sighed. _'I hate to admit it Naruto, but I envy you. Watching your battle has made me realize that I have to work really hard too. Or I'll never get anywhere.'_Sakura sighed again, she knew that she wasn't like Naruto or Sasuke, but she knew that she had to try. She needed to get stronger and help them both; after all they were Squad Seven.

With Naruto and Neji's fight over, it was time for Sasuke match to begin. Only Sasuke still wasn't there yet, he was still no where to be found.

"I wonder what's going on." Ino asked, looking down at the empty arena. "The next match…Sasuke should be here by now."

Sakura was thinking the same as her friend. Only her thoughts were somewhere else, she had an idea of where he might be. _'Sasuke…'_She knew where he could have gone. He may have gone with Orochimaru, or he was taken. Either way it wasn't good.

Sakura looked around the arena hoping that Sasuke was just walking in, but stopped when she noticed something. She no longer saw any sign of Kiba, she looked around but she didn't see him or Akamaru. That couldn't be, she knew that he came to the match. She heard him and even saw him, so where was he now?

"So coo!" Ino's voice brought back Sakura's attention. "That means Sasuke is still in this." Ino was happy; Sakura knew it but why wasn't she? She should be glad that he can still fight, but she wasn't. She looked around again, this time for Kiba and not Sasuke, but she still didn't see any sign of him.

'_I don't like this.'_She thought turning back to the arena. _'I don't like this one bit.'_

Shikamaru's match came next and while it was a good distraction for Sakura, it still didn't help that she couldn't find any sign of Sasuke or Kiba. That worried Sakura; she was worried that something might have happened to them. Sasuke with Orochimaru, and who knows with Kiba, she didn't know if made enemies too during the Chunin exams. That's all she needed, to be worrying about two guys important to her, abandoning their village.

* * *

Time passed and Sasuke finally showed up, Kakashi was with him so everyone knew why he was so late. Even when it's for the Chunin exams, the copy ninja was always late. They started the fight between Gaara and Sasuke, but that's when the Sound and Sand attacked the Leaf. Sasuke chased after Gaara and Naruto and Sakura chased after him along with Pakkun and Shikamaru. However they were being chased by Sound-nin and Shikamaru stayed behind to fight them.

"Did I just smell what I think I'd smell?" Pakkun suddenly spoke up. He stopped on a branch, Naruto and Sakura stopping on either side of him on different branches.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked once they stopped.

"What is it? You smell some kind of trouble?" Sakura was suddenly wishing that Kiba and Akamaru were there with her. Pakkun had a good nose, but she felt better with Kiba and Akamaru. She would feel a lot safe if they were with her.

"Strange I never noticed it before." Pakkun was sounding so serious that it scared Naruto and Sakura.

Now Sakura was really wishing she had Kiba with her. Then she could at least hold onto him or something to stop the sudden panic that was beginning to run through her veins.

"Sakura," Pakkun turned to look at her and was smiling. "Did you know you use the same shampoo as I do?"

Sakura felt her whole body freeze up at his words, she felt ghostly pale and suddenly he clothes didn't seem to fit her anymore. It was like she was disappearing. She leaned against the tree for support, no longer hearing the world around her.

Pakkun sniffed the air once more. "Minty Rainforest Mist, right. With extra body." He sounded really proud of himself for sniffing that out from her.

"I smell like a dog." Hoping through the trees, Sakura kept repeating those words over and over again. Many girls and some guys even, don't like hearing that the smell like an animal. The minute this was over she was going to switch shampoos, who in their right mind wanted to smell like a dog?

Suddenly her mind flashed her an image of Kiba. _'Ok, so maybe I'm overreacting. I mean Kiba lives with dogs and he doesn't smell. Only on days he doesn't shower.'_She thought remembering her childhood where Kiba refused to take baths and Sakura always ran away from him because he smelled so bad. _'Hana even uses the same shampoo too so at least I'm not the only one. Besides, it can't be too bad and I'm sure there could be worse things to smell like.'_Sakura thought over worse things that she could smell like. A pig, or a dead body, or even Naruto when _he_doesn't shower. Sakura thought Kiba smelt bad when he didn't bathe, but at least with him she could stand to be in the same room. With Naruto she couldn't. There have been a few times when she and Sasuke went running out of a room because Naruto forgot about personal hygiene. He smelled so bad that Kakashi even cancelled training because Naruto's B.O. was making his eyes water.

After that little break was over, the three ran towards Sasuke and found two of the three Sand-nin. They found Sasuke lying on a tree branch, in pain with his curse mark activated. Naruto went to fight while Sakura stayed to help Sasuke, or at least try too. Gaara went after him but Sakura stood in his way, she would not let him hurt Sasuke. She would protect him! Gaara used his sand and pushed her up against a tree, slowly crushing her to death. Sakura was knocked out for the fight, not knowing what was going on around her.

* * *

"Sakura…" Her body felt weak and was screaming in pain. It felt like every bone and muscle in her body was abused at the same time and was screaming at her for letting it happen. "It's time to wake up now, Sakura." She heard a voice, it was male, and it sounded very close to her. Her mind was waking up now, she was on a bed and there was a light pressure by the end of it. It wasn't heavy enough to belong to a human; it was about the weight of an animal. A dog's weight to be more accurate.

Slowly she opened her eyes, being temporary blinded by the light of the sun. "K-Kiba?" She question, her hand reaching out for his hand to hold in hers. With her mind awake now, the images of Gaara and the fighting that went on at the arena came into her head. She wanted him to hold her hand and tell her that everything was fine, that he was ok and so were the rest of their friends. "Kiba…"

She felt her hand touch another. Blinking away the blind spots that the light had cause, Sakura looked up expecting to find a smiling Kiba standing over by her bed, "Not quite." Kakashi was not was she was expecting to see. He held a sheepish but amused look in his eye as he held Sakura's hand.

It took her only a minute to process and react to what had just happened. "Kakashi-sensei! What the hell!" Sakura jumped into an upright position, pulling her hand away from her teacher. "What are you doing here?" She asked, or more like yelled at him, trying to remember what was going on.

"I'm visiting my student in the hospital." He said causally, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Hospital?" Sakura repeated, she looked around the room and found that she really was in the hospital. It looked a littler destroyed, but other then a few cracks and holes in the wall, it looked pretty good to her. "How did I…?"

"You got hit pretty bad with that sand, little girl." Pakkun jumped down from his spot on her bed, and landed next to Kakashi. "Since she's awake now and there's no more fighting going on, I guess it's time for me to get going." He said before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura called, she was confused by all this and wanted some answers. "What's going on?" She moved some hair out of her eyes. She noticed that she wasn't wearing her leaf village headband or her regular clothing. Instead her hair was left down and she had on a white hospital gown, that she hoped wasn't the ones where people could see your backside because it didn't button up all the way.

"It's like Pakkun said," He said from his chair. "Gaara hit you with his sand and nearly crushed you to death," He had his hands in his pockets while he spoke, looking her directly in the eyes. "If the sand had continued any longer then it did, you would have been dead by now." He told her, causing her to gulp in fear at how close to death she was.

"You know, suddenly I don't feel so good." She laid back down on the bed, hoping she would feel better the next time she woke up. That is if Kakashi wasn't there with her that next time, telling her more of how she almost died. Once her head hit the pillow, she could feel the peace of sleeping calling to her. _'I wonder where Kiba is.'_Her eyes remained opened long enough for her to watch the door open to reveal a panting Kiba Inuzuka. Sakura smiled at him while he tried to catch his breath just before her mind went back into the darkness of sleep.

**X**

"Sakura!" Kiba Inuzuka cried out as loud as he could. He was still trying to catch his breath from the sprint he just did. He had woken up at the arena to find his mother and sister checking him for wounds. They explained only a few details to him about what was going on until Shino showed up and told him that Sakura was in the hospital. Kiba left the arena in a flash, leaving behind on a cloud of dirt.

Kakashi turned to look at him, "I take it you came to visit Sakura as well." He looked over the panting genin and smiled through his mask. "Though I'll have to ask you to be quite. She just fell back to sleep and she needs her rest." He put a finger to his hidden mouth, showing Kiba to keep his voice done.

Kiba listened to the masked ninja and made his way over to Sakura, Akamaru was still in his hood whined when they both saw the wounds she had on her. It was nothing life threatening but it still made him upset. "Where is he?" Kiba asked, his hands balled into fist as he turned to Kakashi, a look of anger in his eyes. "Where's the person who did this to her?" He wanted to hit them, no kill them. He would hunt down whoever did this to Sakura. The wounds may not be life threatening, but he could sense that she was in pain. That she went through a lot and it had drained her of her energy. "Tell me!" He barked at Kakashi.

The copy ninja looked at Kiba; he kept still and silent, watching the Inuzuka's movements. "I told you before," He finally spoke. "Sakura needs her rest, so you need to be quiet." Kakashi removed his hands from his pockets, hands on his knees, ready incase the young Inuzuka tried anything.

Kiba growled at Kakashi but listened nonetheless. He was right, Sakura needed her rest, Kiba could see that, so fighting off his instincts that were screaming at him to kill whoever did this to Sakura, he took in deep breathes before sitting down on the edge of Sakura's bed. He watched her sleeping form for a moment, letting his body and mind calm down. "What happened to her?" He asked, he was calm but his voice still had an edge to it.

Kakashi heard this edge, leaned closer to Kiba and Sakura's sleeping form, in his chair. "Gaara of the Desert went tried crushing her to death." Kiba's hand clenched the bed sheets, he was trying to control himself, but after hearing that, it was becoming very hard not to.

'_Crushed to death? That sand guy, he did this to her. He tried killing Sakura!'_Kiba let a low growl escape him at the thought of Gaara or anyone trying to kill Sakura. His body was shaking and he was seeing red. He wanted him to pay, how dare he hurt Sakura like that! How dare he put her in that kind of danger! How dare he try and kill her! How dare he try and take away his mate's life!

"Kiba!" Kakashi jumped out of his chair, calling to Kiba just as Tsume and Hana walked in. Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's hood at this point and whined up to his master, telling him to calm down.

"Pup," Tsume and Kuromaru gave a warning growl. "You need to relax yourself, Kiba." His mother told him, slowly moving into a fighting stance. She could smell the scent radiating off of Kiba, she was sure that Hana, Kuromaru, and even Kakashi could smell it. Kiba was enraged, he wanted to kill whoever put Sakura in this hospital and he wouldn't stop until he had the blood of that person on his hands.

"You need to stop this Kiba." Hana tried to talk to her brother but he wasn't listening. He was listening to his primal urges, and they were screaming at him to go and hunt down that guy from the sand.

"That's enough!" It was Kakashi's turn to growl at Kiba. "If you want to yell and scream that's fine, but don't do it near Sakura," He pointed to the sleeping Kunoichi. "If she wakes up and sees you like this, the mere shock of it all will frighten her to the point where she won't ever want to be in the same village as you." He told Kiba, hoping the young genin would understand why it was so important for him to calm himself. If Sakura did wake up now, it wouldn't end well.

Hearing the words of his family and Jonin, Kiba looked down at Sakura for a moment, taking in her tired appearance before finally calming down. "Sorry." He apologized. He kept his gaze on Sakura, waiting to see if there was any sign of pain or movement from her. So far, she was sleeping peacefully and Kiba liked that. _'Good. It means she isn't suffering from any long term damage.'_He was glad for that, if something like that had happened; he wasn't sure what he would do. He'd probably run all the way to the sand village and break through Gaara's ultimate defense shield and beat the life out of him.

When she saw that her son was finally back in his proper mind, Tsume approached the bed that held Sakura's sleeping form. "She'll be ok, you said it yourself. The girl is strong." She petted her son on his head, telling him that he everything would be fine.

Kiba for once didn't move his mother's hand away from his head, he let her pet him like he was a puppy. He was glad that she cared for Sakura; he wanted everyone in his family too. "I should have been there." He whispered grasping one of Sakura's hands.

Hana was leaning up against the wall with Kuromaru crossed her arms as she spoke to her little brother. "You had no way of knowing that this would happen, Kiba." She told him. None of them knew that this would happen; none of them had been prepared.

"It doesn't matter." Kiba finally looked away from Sakura to stare at the people in the room with him. "Sakura's my mate! I should have been there to protect her!"

Tsume only shook her head. "Listen pup, just because you love the girl, doesn't me you can be with her all the time. She'll have to go on missions without and sometimes she'll get hurt on those missions. You just have to accept it." She hoped her son would understand. If not then she would make him have a long talk with his grandfather about mates and how to deal with them going on long missions.

Kiba didn't care about that. Sakura was hurt now and he should have been there to protect her. "That shouldn't matter! I still should have…"

"Excuse me." Kakashi spoke up. "What do you mean by, mate?" He asked, looking directly at Kiba. He wanted to know exactly what he meant by saying he and Sakura were mates. Kakashi knew enough about the Inuzuka clan to know how to people become mates, and Sakura and Kiba were too young to do that stage.

Kiba seeing Kakashi stare at him, stared right back, he wouldn't back down. "Just what I said. I declared Sakura as my mate." He straightened his shoulders out, trying to look tough in front of the Jonin. This man was Sakura's sensei; he needed to get his approval about Kiba and then he would get her families.

Kakashi froze for a moment. "And how exactly did you "declare" Sakura as your mate?" He asked, his voice going into a low tone. "I know there is one way of declaring mates for Inuzukas, and I also know that you two are still far too young to do that." Kakashi's aura and scent was scaring Kiba and Akamaru. The Jonin was upset over this, but Kiba couldn't back down, no matter how scary Kakashi was.

Tsume could smell the beginning of her son's fear of the Jonin, decided it was time to step in. "Kakashi," She called the Silver haired Jonin's attention off her son. "He didn't do what you think he did. He declared Sakura his mate by telling Akamaru who he wants to mark," Kakashi raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to continue. "By telling Akamaru, it means that the two will now share a common bound for Sakura. They will protect her and not be swayed by any other female that may try and tempt them," She placed her hands on her hips, looking from her son to his companion. "It also gives Akamaru a chance to get use to Sakura's chakra and fighting abilities."

"And what does that do?" Kakashi wondered. Sakura wasn't an Inuzuka so why would Akamaru need to learn about Sakura's fighting ability and her chakra?

"If the two do get married but if Kiba dies and Akamaru doesn't, the Akamaru then becomes Sakura's companion and will fight along side with her like he does with Kiba now." She explained, already thinking of training exercises that she would put the young kunoichi through. She knew that Kiba was serious about Sakura; he wouldn't choose another girl, so it was her duty to prepare Sakura. Even if she didn't choose her son as her mate, Kiba still chose Sakura so she needed to start preparing the girl for everything.

"Interesting." Kakashi mumbled looking back at Kiba and Sakura. "Well, I think it's time for me to get going." He made a quick hand sign. "See ya." With that said, he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi left and Tsume and Hana left soon after, telling Kiba to come home before the sunsets. Of course he wasn't listening, he was to busy looking at Sakura, wondering if there was anything he could do for her. So far, he hasn't done anything but make her mad and confuse her. "What can I do?" He asked standing up from his spot on the bed. He reached over to push some stray pieces of her hair back. "I want to keep you safe, always, but so far I haven't been able too," He knew he probably sounded crazy speaking to himself the way he was, but deep down he had a small feeling that Sakura could hear him. "I need to get stronger. I need to get serious before I can ever say you and I are real mates." He cupped her cheek and leaned in closer to her. "I swear, someday I'll protect you from everything, I'll make sure that there will always be a smile on your face."

Slowly he moved his head enough to place a kiss on her lips. Like the last time, he felt a sudden rush of heat and energy running through his body. He pulled away to stare back down at her for one final time before leaving the hospital.

* * *

A week had passed since the attack on the Leaf and many people were still cleaning up the destroyed remains of their village. Everyone was pitching in to help rebuild it so no one was really too sad. Sakura was out of the hospital and was helping her family repair their house like many others were. They held the funeral for the third and although it saddens them, no one in the village wanted to give up. They all knew that they had to keep going.

Kiba Inuzuka was one of those that kept going. He helped rebuild some of the builds that got destroyed in the fighting. The Inuzuka compound wasn't hurt too much because it's in the farther part of the village since it's so big. They need the open area to train their companions. However, when he wasn't helping rebuild building he would train harder then he ever has and would always keep an eye out for any sight of pink hair or green eyes.

Sakura didn't know this, or anyone else for that matter, but Kiba would search for her when he was finished for training. He missed seeing her glowing green eyes that always showed him what she was feeling. Her bright pink hair that always smelled of cherries to him, he loved it even more now that it was short. It just made her look a lot cuter in Kiba's mind. Most of all he just wanted to see Sakura, he loved everything about her that he was going mad not seeing her. He was always on edge at training, but would instantly calm down when he caught a sudden whiff of her scent.

Shino suggested that he either find Sakura soon or get something that reminded him of her. Kiba knew that the bug-nin was getting annoyed with his behavior but he couldn't help it. Kiba was an Inuzuka, they were passionate and possessive when it came to the people they love. He figured though that he should probably take Shino's advice before the bug-nin put him in the hospital. So after training he ran to Sakura's house and jumped into her empty room.

"Smells like she just left." Kiba commented to Akamaru, who jumped onto Sakura's bed. Akamaru, like Kiba, missed seeing and smelling Sakura. "Come on, buddy. We don't have time for this. We need to get home soon or else mom will send Kuromaru to get us." Kiba and Akamaru shuddered at the thought of Tsume sending her companion out to get their butts. It wouldn't be pretty.

Akamaru whined but began to help Kiba search for something of Sakura's take he could take with him. He hated doing this, but Kiba knew that this was the only way to have Sakura's scent with him at all times. "Once I get stronger and get Sakura to be my girl, I won't have to break into her room." He said mostly to himself, but Akamaru still heard him and whined. "Don't worry, boy. It'll only be a matter of time before Sakura sees that I am the man of her dreams." Kiba said trying to convince his dog, and himself.

The two searched through Sakura's room in a way only a ninja could. They made sure not to make any unnecessary noise, Sakura wasn't home but her mother was. Kiba could smell her in the kitchen making dinner for her husband and daughter that would be coming home soon. That just made Kiba search harder for an object he could take. It had to be something he could take with him that wouldn't cause Sakura to suspect that someone had been in her room. So taking a shirt or any other article of clothing was out of the question. He knew what he wanted to take with him, the red ribbon that Sakura always wore when they were little. He knew it was important to her, but she never even wore it anymore, so he figured it would be ok to take it.

"Come on, where is it?" He was starting to get frustrated. Kiba opened drawer after drawer and he still couldn't find the ribbon. "It has to be here somewhere." He hated that he couldn't find one stupid ribbon. He was training to be one of the best trackers in the entire village. How could he get that goal if he couldn't even find a ribbon! Kiba looked all over Sakura's room, but he couldn't find the ribbon. The only place he hadn't looked was her underwear drawer. He was tempted to look through it, but he wouldn't. Sakura deserved his respect and nothing less then that.

"Man, this is so annoying!" Kiba finally gave up and collapsed on her bed. He calmed down the minute his senses were engulfed in the fragrances that could only belong to Sakura. He rolled onto his side, his head propped up on his arm, eyes closed as he breathed in her scent. He smiled at how strong her scent was. It hadn't been this close to him for a long time and Kiba missed it. "Oh man." He rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling of Sakura's room. He gave a bitter smile at what he was doing; he was acting like some weird stalker, breaking into Sakura's room just to steal her stuff for his own personal reasons.

But he really couldn't help it. He needed her scent, it kept him sane, it kept him calm, but most of all it made him feel powerful. Having her scent with him always made Kiba feel like he was the strongest, like he could perform every jutsu known to man. "I love you, Sakura." He whispered into the empty room, wishing that Sakura was in the room with him, giving him an answer to his confession.

"I'm home, mom." Kiba's wish just came true. Too bad he didn't want it to happen.

"Crap!" He jumped off the bed and worked faster to find that ribbon. "Come on, where is it?" He looked under her bed, in her closet, and searched her dresser drawers one last time but he still couldn't find the ribbon.

"I'll be in my room." Kiba's heart just stopped. He knew that if Sakura found him here, she would most likely scream until the Anbu came and dragged his butt off long enough for her to get a restraining order against him. He couldn't let that happen, he wanted her to like him, not think he was some stalker that followed her home.

"Arf arf!' Akamaru barked quietly, scratching at one of the bottom dresser's drawer. "What is it boy?" Kiba opened the drawer and saw that it filled with some of Sakura's old clothes from when she was a child. There was a handkerchief on the very top of the articles of clothing, along with a few pictures, and old jewelry that she would sometimes wear.

Sakura's footsteps were getting closer so Kiba didn't have time to be picky about what he wanted to take with him. He quickly grabbed the handkerchief, along with Akamaru, and jumped out of her room and landed on the roof just as she entered her room.

"Close one." Kiba breathed out, Akamaru was sitting next to him wagging his tail. He was happy that their little mission didn't end with failure. "I can't believe I couldn't find that stupid ribbon." Kiba sighed again, looking down at the hanky in his hand. It looked familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it. He would figure it out later, putting the handkerchief in his pocket, Kiba was ready to run home when he saw Sakura step out onto her balcony and sit down.

"Akamaru, get down." Kiba whispered the command, he and Akamaru lying on the roof to hide their presences from Sakura. If she did notice them, he would just have to say that he was training with his sensei and it took him here. Kiba, slowly, looked down at Sakura from his spot on the roof. Sakura was sitting down on her balcony, her legs were up against her chest and her arms were wrapped around her legs.

"Sasuke…" She sighed up to the sky, not knowing that she wasn't. "What's happening with you?" She sighed again, thinking of the encounter she just had with Sasuke at Naruto's apartment.

Kiba watched her from his hiding spot on her roof; he could hear the worry in her voice and could smell it on her as well. It was so strong that it made his senses clog, he himself was starting to feel worry for the Uchiha. _'Why? Why is she worrying about him?'_Kiba wanted to know why Sakura was worrying so much over Sasuke, why was she only thinking of him? Didn't she say that she liked him too, or did her feelings change that quickly?

"Maybe, is should have told Kakashi-sensei." Sakura was speaking again; her eyes were focused on the clouds in the sky. "Maybe I should have told someone about the curse mark. About what Orochimaru said." Sakura wrapped her arms around herself tighter, bringing her head into her lap, she was shaking.

"Sakura! Can you come and help me." Her mother was calling her and without a reply, Sakura left her balcony to help her mother.

With her gone, Kiba was able to sit up on the roof without worrying about being seen. He, like Sakura, was looking up at the sky watching the clouds. He was thinking over what he had just heard. Sakura was worried about Sasuke, because of something called a curse mark? And Orochimaru?

"What does this mean?" Kiba asked pulling out the handkerchief he had just stolen. He looked at it in his hand, and sighed. "Orochimaru was the guy that attacked our village, so what does he have to do with Sasuke, and Sakura?" Kiba was tempted to go down and demand that Sakura give him answers. Even with her gone, he could still smell the worry that she had on her. He could smell her worry, and her fear.

Sakura was scared of something. What she was so afraid of, Kiba had no idea, but he knew it had something to do with Sasuke. Something had happened to the Uchiha and it was affecting Sakura. It was eating her up on the inside, making her slowly drown in her own fears.

"Sakura." He brought the handkerchief up to his nose, breathing in the scent that was Sakura. The cloth had to be from a few years ago, so it held no sign of worry or fear, only Sakura. "What's happening with you?" He asked the cloth, hoping that it could give him the answers that he wanted. Kiba sat there for a few moments before standing up from the roof and headed back home. He needed to think about all this, about what's happening with Sakura. If there was someway he could help her, before her fears became a reality.


	13. Thrown away, Come back again

Chapter 13: Thrown away, Come back again

The day she has always dreaded has finally come true. It was the day when Sasuke, the boy she claimed to be madly in love with was leaving their village. She was seeing it with her own eyes, she saw him walking down the path that would lead out of the village, and she could see the pack on his back, filled with things he would take with him. He was actually leaving. He was leaving behind their team, their friends, he was leaving her. The moon was full tonight so she knew that she wasn't seeing an illusion, it was the real thing.

This night would be the last time that she saw him.

"It's the middle of the night. What are you hanging around here for?" Sasuke had stopped walking to question her. She felt a little spark of hope in her heart that it meant he would hesitate about his decision.

"This is the only road out of the village," She spoke out softly, her hope died when she remembered that Sasuke doesn't hesitate about anything.

"You should go to bed." He was moving again, walking right pass her to leave their village. Their home.

They were silent for a moment, Sakura understood what was happening but her body was frozen for this brief moment. She couldn't move, only think, remembering all the times she spent with him, their time as a team. She knew that she needed to stop him but she didn't know how. Sasuke's dream was to kill his brother and revive his clan. She knew that she couldn't help with his brother, she wasn't strong enough yet. But she could do the other.

If she could convince that her love was strong enough and that she would help him with his clan, them maybe he would stay. She opened her mouth to tell him that, to tell him that she was in love with him, when she froze again. Her mind showing her an image of Kiba's smiling face.

_"I will only say the words "I love you" when I can put my whole heart into it. If I say it but all my heart isn't in it, then it's nothing more then empty words."_

The promise that she made to him, she promised she wouldn't say the word love to either of them until she knew which one she really did love. At the time it seemed like the perfect thing for her, however with this situation now, she didn't have any other choice but to break her promise.

'_Kiba,' _she once again saw an image of his smiling face, looking at her with the love that she always wanted to see. _'I'm sorry!" _She shed one silent tear for the boy that she now knew what she felt for and turned around to Sasuke.

She shed more tears now, only these were for Sasuke, she didn't wipe them away because she wanted him to see that she cared for him. "Why Sasuke? Why won't you ever tell me anything?" She knew that she sounded whiny but she needed too. She just had to make him stay. No matter what, even if it meant changing everything about herself, she would. "Why is it always silences with you? You've never shared a single thing w…"

"Why should I tell you anything?" he spoke back to her in a harsh voice. Sakura knew that voice; he was hiding something from her. He was keeping things to himself like he always does. The tears kept coming as she spoke with him. "Just keep your nose out of my business. It's none of your concern."

Sakura looked away from him at this moment, thinking over his words. Once again, she saw another image of Kiba's face in her mind, but she erased it as soon as it popped up. She couldn't think of that right now, she had to focus on Sasuke at this time.

"I know you hate me, even in the beginning you couldn't ever stand me," She said this softly, finally speaking the truth that she would always deny when she was with him. "Remember…back when we made Genin and we were assigned to our three man-squads? We were alone together for the first time, right here at this very spot. You got so mad at me that day." She said, remembering that day, how different she was now to how she used to be. She really was spoiled back then. That day was the first time anyone who she cared about besides Ino had ever called her annoying.

Sakura lifted her head up a little higher, hoping he would mention something to her about that day as well. Hoping that he would say anything to her, even call her stupid for bringing something like that up at a time like this.

"I don't remember that." Her eyes that had finally stopped crying began to flow with tears again. Her hope in her heart was starting to go out again. Once again she saw Kiba's face, him smiling at her, talking to her about past events that he remembered having with her. She remembered him holding her, telling her how much he loved her, how much warmth she felt in his arms.

'_No! I can't think about that now! Sasuke…he is…I need to keep him here. Even if it means getting rid of everything that I love, starting my heart over to make it be like it use to be, to get rid of this feeling in it for Kiba, I will. I need to keep Sasuke in the village!' _She told herself, breaking away from the images that she was seeing in her mind.

But even if she told herself that, she knew that she could never feel the way she used to feel before. She was a different person back then and she wasn't positive she could really change so much for him. "Yeah sure…I mean it was so long ago, right?" She let her tears fall to the floor, suddenly feeling so alone and cold. She didn't know if it was because Sasuke was leaving or because what she was trying to do to her heart. "But still, that's the day when it all began. It was the start of you and me, and Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei." She spoke these words, remembering herself the start of their team. All the missions, training, and time they spent together. Everything they did together as a team before that snake Orochimaru showed up. They were all happy time. "The four us started going on mission. It was rough back then, everyday was such a challenge," She could see them all together, seeing Naruto trying to get Kakashi's book, them laughing and making fun of Naruto for his stupid antics. "But, more then anything, it was so much fun." She was holding back her tears, wearing a smile on her face. It was a bitter smile but it was still a smile.

She looked on at Sasuke, hoping that her words had somehow reached to him, that he was remembering all those times too. That he would think about their team, how much fun they had together, all the great times they spent together, everything.

She sighed when he didn't say anything. "I know about your clan Sasuke, I do. Seeking revenge…that won't bring anyone happiness. Nobody at all, not you and not me."

"I knew it," His words shocked her, was he finally starting to change his mind? Her words had reached him. She couldn't see him clearly now because the moon was behind a cloud now, as if silently telling her something. Something that she couldn't understand.

"I'm not the same as you; I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow. I know that the four of us have worked together, and for a while I thought I could take that road instead. But in the end, I've decided on revenge," He spoke his words to her, telling her what his choice was. "That's always been my reason for living," He was silent for one moment. "I'll never be like you and Naruto."

"Don't do this Sasuke! You don't have to be alone!" She was getting desperate now. No longer thinking about anything other then Sasuke. "You told me that day how painful a thing solitude can be. I understand that pain now, I have a family and friends, but…" For one more moment Kiba's face appeared again.

'_Stop it!' _She cried to herself, willing the image t fade back into the darkness. _'Please, just let me do this. I need to make Sasuke stay. Not just for me, but for Naruto as well. So please…stop appearing in my mind, Kiba!' _She begged.

"If you were gone Sasuke, it would be the same thing for me, as being all alone." She cried, trying to hold herself together. Even now she already was feeling alone. The cause of it she knew, trying to herself convince it was because Sasuke was leaving, but she knew that she was only lying to herself once more.

"This is a new beginning," Sasuke spoke up. "Each of us has a new path lying before us." He spoke as if he knew something she didn't know. Something that only he could see.

"Sasuke!" She started to form the image of Kiba again, but she stopped it and for a moment she wondered if Sasuke knew that she was seeing these images. "I'm so in love with you I can't even stand it." She suddenly hated how she sounded. How the words love came out wrong, how she said it. She didn't like it, but at the same time she did. It felt normal to say this to Sasuke. It felt normal instead of right. "If you would only be with me, I promise, I'd never let you regret it. Everyday will be a joy, I can give you happiness." She promised him, practically begging for him to stay now. "I'll do anything for you, Sasuke. So please! I'm begging you don't walk away!" She cried out once more, praying that her words would reach him. That he would just take her promise and stay. She didn't care what he asked her to do; she would do it if he stayed in the village. She didn't know anymore what she was saying, or how this may end for her, but right now she wouldn't let that bother her.

"I'll even help get your revenge. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen, I swear!" She would do it. Even if it meant dirtying herself or dying, she would do it if he asked her too. "So stay here…with me…and if you can't" She cried, no longer keeping her tears under control. She just needed to cry. She didn't know if it was because that he was really leaving her, or because of the promises she was making and how in the back of her mind, she hated herself for even saying them. "…then take me with you Sasuke." For a brief moment she hated herself, she wanted to slap herself across the face for saying those words because she knew that she would be hurting a lot of people if Sasuke really did take her with him. If she did go with him, she knew who would come after her and whose heart she was crush into a million pieces. She would destroy that person if she left and she would hate herself.

"You haven't changed," He finally turned around to look at her. A smirk on his face like always. "You're still annoying."

Her world suddenly stopped and then began again, it was like those words both closed and opened up something for her. She hated that he called her annoying and that her words didn't reach him, that he would still walk away after all that. For a brief moment, she hated Sasuke Uchiha. The one person she always said she loved.

"Don't leave me!" She cried out, forgetting everything around them. "If you go, I'll scream and…!" He disappeared and suddenly came behind her. She was frozen by his speed, she couldn't move once more.

"Sakura," Their world was moving in slow motion, his voice was soft. It sounded so different to her now, this was a new Sasuke. No. It was still Sasuke but yet it was a different one too. "Thank you for everything."

She was shocked by his words, she never heard him utter the words "thank you" to her or anyone else before. But she knew that those words had a hidden meaning. He was saying goodbye to her, telling her that they may never see each other ever again. Before she could reply her world became black and everything around her faded away.

"Sasuke…" She muttered weakly, saying his name one final time before her mind was gone to the darkness of sleep.

**-**

Sakura was awakened by a voice she didn't recognize, she herself lying on something hard that was not her bed, for a brief moment she wondered where she was before she finally remembered. Her minded flashed her back though, to Sasuke thanking her before knocking her out. She gasped and sat up from the bench she was lying on. "Sasuke, no!" She shouted, hoping by some small chance that he was still there. He wasn't, he was really gone now. He left her and everything in their village. This thought caused more tears to fall from her eyes, because she knew that she failed. She failed to keep Sasuke with them.

After she told the two Chunin everything that happened with Sasuke, Sakura walked aimless around the village. She didn't care where she went; she just needed to move around. After the sun was finally up she decided to go visit Naruto and tell him what took place, but when she got to his apartment she found that he wasn't there. She knew only one place he would be at this early in the morning, at the gate. He was probably already leaving to go get Sasuke.

Sakura made her way there, making sure to avoid going anywhere near the Inuzuka compounds. She couldn't face Kiba now, not after what she said to Sasuke. She broke her promise to him and for that she was ashamed of herself. She knew that if she saw him, he would figure out that she told Sasuke that she loved him. That she made all those promises.

She made her way to the gate, seeing six figures there and recognizing all of them. She almost turned and ran away when she saw Kiba and Akamaru were at the gate as well. She should have known that they would be going too. Their tracking skills were needed for something like this. She watched them all for a second, listening in on Shikamaru plans. She was impressed and wondered if she would be able to come up with a plan like that if she was a Chunin. She highly doubted it.

When she saw them leaving, she knew that she needed to stop them. "Wait!" She called out before she even knew it. She wanted to say something but at the same time she just wanted to runaway.

Their gazes focused in on hers, she could feel them on her skin. She made sure to avoid Kiba's gaze the most, the shame washing over her once more.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked her, there was concern in his voice for her. She had a feeling that he was regretting what he said to her last night before she saw Sasuke.

"Lady Hokage told me everything, sorry Sakura I can't take you on this mission." Shikamaru spoke next and what he said hurt her a little. A part of her did want to go, to try again to get Sasuke to come back to the village, but she knew that she was too weak to go on this kind of mission. "I know you tried, but even you couldn't convince Sasuke, could you?"

Sakura was shocked by how much Shikamaru knew. She didn't expect the Hokage to tell him that, but it didn't matter anymore. He was right; she couldn't do anything to convince Sasuke to stay. She heard Naruto's gasp at Shikamaru's words and somehow even heard Kiba take in a deep breath. From their childhood together, she knew that it was something he did when he wanted to say something but knew that it wasn't the time or place to speak.

"Now our only option is for me to find him and force him to come back to the village," Shikamaru said. "I'm sorry but there's nothing else you can do for him." She hated how he was speaking to her, with such pity in his voice. She already knew that she couldn't do anything more.

Naruto spoke up this time. "But that means…did Sasuke turn his back on you Sakura?" She heard his voice, his question, and the tears started flowing again. She didn't want to face all this; it was just too much for her. Once again, she heard Kiba's take in a deep breath and out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fist clench. He was angry, but at her or at Sasuke she didn't know.

"Naruto…" She cried out through her tears. She was ashamed of herself, ashamed for how weak she was, ashamed that she couldn't do anything, but mostly she was ashamed that she threw something away that was important to her. She remembered her promise to Sasuke and what it meant she had to do. She threw away her promise to Kiba and her heart because she was so desperate to keep Sasuke here. She threw it all away and now she could never get it back.

That didn't matter now though. It was all gone, she got rid of it all, so there was no point dwelling on it. She would just have to focus on Sasuke again and hope that she still has her heart after this ends. "This is a…once in a lifetime request. Just bring him home; please bring Sasuke back to me."

'_Because I don't have anything else to live for now. I got rid of everything that I loved and the people that love me. I threw it all away from him and I need him back because I can't get that love back anymore.' _She thought bitterly, hating herself even more for what she had done. She had a good life and she got rid of it, she did love Sasuke but only now she realized how different that love was. But it was too late now, because she ruined the other love that she had. She ruined it and now only had the love she had for Sasuke to depend on now. Even if it wasn't the type of love she wanted to feel.

"I did everything I could, I tried but I couldn't stop him from leaving the village. At this point, there's only person who can stop him, only one who can save him. Naruto it's all up to you." She cried more, telling Naruto her request with a hidden meaning too it.

'_Only you can make us a team again, Naruto. Only you can help me from this stupid choice that I made.' _She thought more about her promise to Sasuke. It wasn't that she regretted it completely, but she still wished she ad promised something else. A different type of promise where she could still give her heart and feelings to who she really wanted too. Now she couldn't, she broke everything and now needed Naruto to help her fix it.

"Well gosh, Sakura, you must really care about Sasuke, huh?" Naruto was speaking to her with a bitter smile. She couldn't see it because of her tears but she could feel it in his voice. "I get it; I can see that deep down this must be really painful for you," He said to her and Sakura wondered what kind of pain he meant? She didn't know anymore, she was just in pain. "I know you must be suffering," Sakura looked at Naruto and thought back to the day when she and Sasuke were alone and he asked her what she thought about Naruto. She replied that he didn't understand anything about her and was annoying and now she hated herself even more for even saying something like that. All this time, Naruto was the one who understood her the most. On squad seven, it wasn't Sasuke or Kakashi-sensei that understood Sakura, it was Naruto.

She started crying again, but this time for a totally different reason. "Naruto…thank you so much." She wasn't thanking him for going after Sasuke. No, she was thanking him because he understood her. He understood things about her and made her feel like she wasn't s alone now.

Naruto was smiling now; it still held bitterness to it but was a bit better. He gave her the same pose that Lee gave her when they first meet. "Don't you worry one bit, I'm gonna bring Sasuke back. I promise that on my life, Sakura." His words gave back to her the hope that Sasuke had crushed when he left.

'_More then anyone else, you always understood me. You've always been there. When I needed help, Naruto was always there.'' _She let the tears fall again, crying for how she treated Naruto in the past. Ever since she became a Genin, it was always Naruto that helped her, understood her. He had always been there for her where Sasuke and Kakashi hadn't been. He helped her become stronger as a kunoichi.

"Whoa, hold on there Naruto. That's quite a statement. Are you sure we should be promising her that we'll get him." Kiba finally spoke up and Sakura heard his words. She could hear his hidden meaning. He was upset that he didn't promise her anything to make her feel better. Even now he could probably smell the hope she had gotten back because of Naruto. But there was more to it, he wasn't confident that they would get Sasuke, and Sakura would admit that she wasn't too confident herself, but she would trust Naruto.

"Sure!" Naruto replied back to Kiba. "When I give my word you can count on it. That my ninja way." He told them all, he would go after to keep his promise to Sakura and bring back Sasuke. "Well come on! What are we waiting for? Let's get going!" he threw a fist in the air, showing that he was ready to move out.

"Alright then," Shikamaru turned away from Sakura, ready to move out himself. "This little interruption has cost us some time. Let's get moving." He said and they all started to follow him.

"Right!" Naruto was ready to go.

Sakura looked on as they left the village on their mission; she watched them through her tears as they walked away. Her gaze moved from each of them before ending on Kiba's form. She watched he moved, he was tense and stiff but yet he seemed to be calm a little too. She knew why he was tensed though. One reason may have been the mission but another was because of her. She didn't say it out loud but she basically denied his feelings for her. She threw them away for Sasuke and there was nothing she could do to bring them back.

'_Kiba,' _She watched him walk further away, leaving to bring back a guy who was a rival to him for her heart. _'I'm so sorry!' _She was putting him through so much and she hated it. He cared so much about her and she returned those feelings by putting him in situations where he did so much but didn't get anything in return.

"Did you see Naruto give you the thumbs up when he made that promise?" Lee asked her suddenly, surprising her. "That means he will do it. I can tell, Naruto will succeed." Sakura moved her gaze from Kiba to Lee saw that he too gave her the thumbs up.

She looked over Lee, finally wiping away her tears and nodded her saying. Saying she understood what he was telling her.

The two watched the five guys walk away until they could no longer see them anymore. Sakura stood there for a moment before turning her attention to Lee. "So how are you feeling? Do you need any help getting back to the hospital?" She heard about his surgery and was worried that he may do something to hurt himself if he walked alone.

Lee on shook his head. "No, I will be fine. So please, do not worry about me." He started to walk away from her. "I will see you again soon Sakura." He waved goodbye to her before walking to his destination.

Sakura stood at the gate again for a moment, thinking about where she should go? Kakashi-sensei was on a mission, and her team two teammates were gone now so she had no training to do. She didn't know what she should do now? "I guess…I should tell Ino." She mumbled, making her way to the flower shop where her best friend worked. The two girls could at least cry together over the lost and Sakura could talk with Ino about what she did with Sasuke and Kiba.

She walked through the village, not really watching where she was going. Her mind was on Sasuke and the things he said to her. Her mind was also consumed by Kiba and the things she was sure he wanted to say, but didn't.

"Sakura?" She heard her name get called, but it wasn't Ino's voice that said it. "What are you doing here?" It was Hana, Kiba's older sister. She was in her vet's uniform and her three wolf like companions were around her.

"Oh…I…" Sakura hadn't realized that she was unconsciously making her way to the Inuzuka compounds. "I made a wrong turn. Sorry." She said lightly, her voice seemed like it didn't want to speak today. Quickly she turned around, this time to head go to the Yamanaka flower shop.

"Wait," She stopped when she felt one of Hana's companions tugging at her clothes. Sakura turned her head around to look at the Inuzuka female. "I was actually about to make some tea and relax a little. Mom and Kiba aren't home now, so I wouldn't mind a little company." She had a gentle smile on her face, but her eyes held knowledge. Sakura had a feeling that Hana knew what was going on with her.

"Ok." She slowly nodded her head, Hana's companion letting her go as they walked into the Inuzuka house.

Once inside Sakura sat at the kitchen table while Hana prepared the tea. She handed Sakura her cup and had a bowl of cherries right in the middle of the table. Sakura stared at the bowl, giving it a bitter smile; it was everything around her was trying to make her see the horrible choice that she made. She did regret it, but not fully. She did love Sasuke, he was her teammate after all, and she wanted Team Seven to always be together but it seems that dream has died. Along with her other dream.

"Sakura?" Her attention was brought back to Hana, she forget that she was still there. "What's wrong? Your scent is practically dripping with sadness and regret." She said to her, a look of worry in her eyes. Sakura looked to Hana and felt bad for her, she knows about the abilities all Inuzukas have. Their scent of smell is so good they can smell what another person is feeling, or even thinking sometimes. Kiba once told her, if the emotion is strong enough; they can make that Inuzuka start to feel that emotion.

So right now, she must have been making Hana feel so terrible. "I…sorry. It seems like I'm just causing all sorts of problems for you guys today." She said softly, wishing she could just disappear into the background.

"Is that so?" Hana raised an eyebrow and took a good long look at Sakura. "I see." She gave her a knowing smile. "It seems you broke my little brother's heart."

Sakura gasped and looked into Hana's knowing eyes and gave a weak laugh. "I guess I really can't anything from you guys after all." She looked down at the hands in her lap; she didn't know what she was supposed to do anymore. She didn't know of she should cry, be angry, train, or just runaway from it all.

Hana only shook her head. "It's very hard to try and fool us. From the moment we are born into this world, our senses are very powerful and we're very close to the Earth and the people that live on it." She smiled picking up a cherry and placing it in her mouth. "The smell of regret is coming from your own scent. However the scent of sadness is t strong to be yours. It belongs to Kiba."

Sakura looked on in shock. "Really?" Kiba's scent was on her, but she wasn't even that close to him so how could his scent be on her?

"I guess it's only natural his scent would cling to you, after all he did chose you to be his mate." She said, casually placing another cherry inside her mouth.

It took Sakura only three seconds to understand what Hana had said. "His…Mate!!!" She shrieked, almost knocking over the whole table. "But how…when…I….we didn't…I mean we never…Huh?" She was just lost at this point. She didn't know to say or what not to say anymore.

Hana only laughed at Sakura's confused form. "Mother said you would act like that." She stood up from the table. "Follow me." She motioned for Sakura to follow her up the stairs. She smiled when she heard the light tapping of footsteps following behind her.

They walked up the stairs and walked inside Kiba's empty bedroom. It wasn't as clean as it was the day Sakura came over but at least they could see the floor.

"Mom's going to tell him off when he gets back from his mission." Hana gave a light chuckle, placing her hands on her hips. Obviously imaging the talking, or rather yelling, that her mother would be doing to her younger brother. "What mission did he go on anyways? The guard at the gate wouldn't tell me." She added, mostly to herself.

Sakura gave a heavy sigh and looked down at her feet. "He…went to bring Sasuke back to the village." It came out as a whisper but Hana still heard what she said. Her attention was now fully on Sakura now. "Last night…Sasuke left our village. He left to join forces with Orochimaru." Her voice was barely above a whisper but she knew that Hana could still hear her. The girl had super hearing; she probably could hear her gasping for air every time she spoke. Her mind was brought back to last night, everything Sasuke said to her. It quickly flashed to this morning, her avoiding Kiba's gaze but still hearing his deep intakes of breath. Trying to calm himself down, her asking Naruto to bring Sasuke back to her, even though she knew Kiba was there. Her breaking the promise she made and knowing that she must have shattered his heart with this mission.

Suddenly her body felt light and she started to sway. "Hana…I don't think I can…" Her voice was lost as she fell forward. Her mind was fogging over and she felt like her body had lost every ounce of energy it had. "Kiba…" She whispered out just before Hana caught her falling form.

"Easy now," She whispered in a gentle tone, lying Sakura down on Kiba's bed. "You're exhausted, so rest now so you can get your strength back," She tucked Sakura in, untying her headband and pushing away some loose hair. "And don't worry about Kiba, I know he won't if you use his bed."

Sakura looked up at the Inuzuka girl with dazed eyes and began to cry. "Yes, he will. I broke my promise…he hates me now." She let the tears fall freely from her eyes. "I broke his heart. I broke his heart, right in front of his face and pretended like he wasn't there to hear what I said. I lost it all…I hurt him and he will hate me now." She chocked out, her tears still falling. She wouldn't wipe the away, she would let these tears fall for Kiba and what she had done to him. "I hurt him so much, I threw it all away and I can't ever get it back now. I…I…" The tears were falling so fast now, she couldn't stop them.

"Ssh." Hana silenced her, wiping away her tears with a tissue. "Sakura, you don't understand what it means to be the mate of an Inuzuka," She gave her a gentle smile as she spoke. "Even if we fight and hurt each other, we will always love our mates. Nothing will everything change that," She spoke in a low tone. "You may believe that you have thrown it all away but it's never gone. It will always come back to you, with a big warm smile on its face and a heart full of warmth and love that is just for you." She began to slowly stroke Sakura's hair, still smiling, treating her with the love a big sister would give to her sick little sister.

Sakura sniffed and tried to speak. "But I…" Hana stopped her again from blaming herself. "Kiba will always lover you. He's loved you all his life." She stood up for a moment and picked up a jacket that was on the back to the chair in the room. It was the jacket that Sakura wore when she last visited.

"That jacket," She looked over it, wondering why it was out.

"This is something very special to Kiba," Hana said coming back over, bringing the jacket with her.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, what was so special about a jacket that he barely wore. He always wore the one with the fur on the hood, it was his favorite.

Hana smiled and placed the jacket over Sakura's form on the bed. "It's because it has both of your scents on it," She kept the jacket over the blanket that covered Sakura. "Kiba loves you, everything about you, so when he smelt you scent mixed in with his, well…let's just say it was his own personal heaven." Hana giggled, looking at the jacket and then Sakura. "He refuses to let mom wash it. He says he doesn't want to wash away your scent or mix in anyone else's scent. He only wants it to have yours and his." She stood up and moved towards the door.

"Sakura," Her hand was on the doorknob, a smile still on her face. "Kiba told Akamaru that he wants you as his mate. It's an ancient Inuzuka tradition; it was made for those young pups who found their mates early wanted to do everything possible to show them their love. So by telling their companions, they were slowly confessing to the world of who they love." The smile never once left her face, even after she left the room to finish off the rest of the tea she made and the bowl of cherries she just recently bought.

Sakura watched her go, staring at the door for a moment, before grabbing the jacket and outing it on. She took in a deep whiff of the fabric and sighed, she could smell Kiba on it, but there was also a tiny hint of her shampoo and perfume she usually wears. Kiba really never did wash it, it smelled like that too. Old laundry, but that didn't bother her. She found it comforting and relaxing. Rolling onto her side, she sighed into the pillow and wrapped up into the warm blankets. It felt like someone was hugging her and she knew whose hug would make her feel this warm.

"Kiba, I love you." She whispered out before her mind and body relaxed into a peaceful sleep.


	14. Acceptance and Understanding

Chapter 14: Acceptance and Understanding

Kiba hatred of Sasuke was growing more and more by the second. It was because of him that he and Akamaru had gotten into the mess that they did, it was because of him that his friends were suffering like they were, and most of all it was because of him that Sakura had shed tears or pain! Kiba growled when his mind flashed him back to that morning when Sakura had come to beg Naruto to bring Sasuke back, the pain and sorrow that was in her voice when she said that she couldn't stop him from leaving. It hurt Kiba to see her like that, he loved her with all his heart and to see her to heart broken over another guy had broken his heart as well. That morning he wanted to do so many things, he wanted to cry himself when he saw her tears, yell and scream because she was shedding tears for another man when she promised she wouldn't say "I Love You" until she knew who she loved, but most of all he wanted to take her in his arms and stop her tears from falling.

The cries of Akamaru snapped his mind back, he couldn't be thinking about Sakura at this moment. His mother had even said his thoughts distracted him to much when she was on his mind and he needed to be at full action with this fight. Akamaru was running towards him, fur red from the food pill he had given to him to boost up his power. Kiba had a feeling they would need all they had for this fight.

"Urgh! Dang it," He was sitting in a small river, it barley reached his ankles but somehow it was freezing and Kiba felt so small sitting in it. He had been punched in the face by this guy, he hadn't caught his name, but he thought for sure that he had him with his own attack. So why was the guy still standing? "What's going on here?" He didn't understand, he hit him from behind and at a pressure point in the neck. It should have knocked him out.

"_I know I hit him but nothing happened. And where the hell did that attack come from?" _He didn't see the guy move any of his arms or legs to hit him.

Kiba had his eyes on the guy, he was just standing and smiling at him, taunting him with the secret that he had but wouldn't tell him what they were. It annoyed him beyond belief but Kiba knew he had to remain calm or else it could coats him his life. "Get ready, Akamaru," He told his best friend and stood up, ready to attack again. "We'll hit him from both sides with Fang Over Fang." Akamaru agreed with him and transformed into Kiba. "Let's do it!" The two charged at Ukon, ready to end this battle and return home.

"Fang Over Fang!" The attack came and went and both Kiba and Akamaru were surprised by the outcomes. The two were stopped by their enemy, one in the front and the other one growing out of his back.

"What's with this guy?" Kiba growled, trying to free his wrist from his opponents grip. His leg came up, ready to kick him in the stomach and send him flying but it was stopped by another foot coming out of the guy's stomach. "What the…?" He was shocked, how could a foot just come out of his stomach like that? It shouldn't be possible.

Laughter could be heard coming from behind the guy's head; it was the other him that was growing out of his back. Whatever it was, it was alive and talking. "Why this is perfect Sakon, there's one of them for each of us."

In a flash one of the two aimed for the two Kiba's and sent him flying into one of the rocks, a puff of smoke appeared and then did Akamaru, a small cry of pain escaping from the dog. Its body in pain as it fell to the floor and collapsed.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cried once he saw what happened to his best friend and companion.

"Aha. So you're the real one, huh?" The body turned and the one who knocked out Akamaru aimed to punch out Kiba. "Multiple Fist Barrage!" The attacked happened to fast for Kiba to dodge or counter it; the attack sent him flying into the rocks like Akamaru had just done. The attack had hurt him, his body screaming in pain once his back collided with the hard stone. However he could not waste anytime trying to recover because the attack had come again. "Once more," only this time Kiba dodged it and moved away. He dodged the attack but he was caught by another arm, this one grabbing him back the neck.

"My brother and I get along really well. Usually Ukon just sleeps inside of me but when the moment calls for it he comes out to play." Kiba gasped for breath as all of this was explained to him. Now he understood where the other body parts were coming from, they came from the other brother that was sleeping inside.

"_So this is his ability." _Kiba would have growled it he could. He thought he had the advantage with having Akamaru with him but this guy had his own companion, his brother.

"He can poke his arms, legs, and head out of anywhere in my body, to either attack or defend." The one known as Ukon now grew his head out of his brother's own head and a arm growing out of his forehead. "Just like this." The arm reached out and punched Kiba's forehead, making him cry out in pain.

Suddenly Akamaru came running by, he was crying to Kiba to help him and see if he was alright. Before he could reach him, Sakon acted first. "Multiple Legs Barrage!" This attack sent Kiba flying again, this time into Akamaru. "Nothing more painful then a three legged kick," Sakon commented as Kiba and Akamaru most collided with another rock. "Now try this on for size…!" He was stopped by a hand growing out of his next and covering his mouth.

His brother Ukon was speaking now. "Enough Sakon, we don't have any time play around," Suddenly Ukon had transformed himself, he resembled an ogre with red skin, longer hair and a horn growing out of his forehead. "Let's wrap this up. We're going to phase two."

Kiba panted as he watched this transformation take place, he wouldn't admit it but he had a small speak of fear growing in his heart. These ninjas were nothing like he had ever seen before, hell he never even heard of ninjas like this from his family or ninja academy. Something wasn't right about this guy, they didn't fight like ordinary ninjas and there powers were too insane to be normal. Just what the hell was Sasuke doing with these guys? He didn't want to know actually, the guy had left their village on his own and Kiba really didn't want to bring him back. He had left them so why should they even care about the guy? He had brought them nothing but trouble, first with Orochimaru attacking there village, then his friends being ambushed and attacked by these guys, he and Akamaru were getting their butts kicked, and again he made Sakura cry! In Kiba's mind the village would be a lot better without Sasuke.

"_I know a lot of people that would agree with me but I can also name a few others that would disagree." _His mind flashed him to Team 7, it was the only time that Kiba had actually seen Sasuke enjoying himself and not having the constant frown on his face. He seemed to relax around his team and his own teammates and sensei seemed glad that they were all together. _"I may not want him back but Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura do. It hurts me to say this but if having Sasuke back makes Sakura happier then I'll bring him back even if I have to drag him back by his feet!" _It was decided. He would beat this guy, even if he was in pain still and his body was screaming at him to rest, Kiba would fight and win.

"Oh, alright." Sakon spoke softly and he began his own transformation. Kiba watched him become exactly how his brother was; only the horn was on the opposite side of his forehead. "You're always so impatient brother."

Kiba suddenly had the urge to runaway but blocked the thought from his mind. He would not run, even if his body was in pain he would stay and fight. His breath came out in painful gasp and Akamaru was struggling to get up, the two were in bad shape and the fight had only just begun. Akamaru was whining but he was also talking with Kiba. "I got ya. You're thinking those horns just for display, aren't ya?" Akamaru gave another low whine but Kiba understood what he meant.

"_You're right. As soon as that other guy popped out his chakra increased ten fold. Things seemed hopeless before but now we're really screwed." _Kiba turned his attention to the two, both head sharing one body and laughing at him. They seemed to understand that Kiba noticed how badly this battle was turning out for him.

"What are you in the mood for, brother?" Sakon asked his twin.

"Ripping 'em apart." Ukon's reply was short but it made Kiba freeze in fear for a moment. This battle was getting worse by the moment.

"_Damnit. I think we're finished." _Kiba thought it and already hated it. These guys were two strong for him and it seemed no attack he could think of could work on them. They were done.

_Arf! Arf! Arf!_

Akamaru barked at him, telling him what attacked he wanted to use on the twins. "What are you saying?" Kiba was shocked by what his dog asked of him. He couldn't believe Akamaru wanted to do that. "You're telling me you want to try that?' Akamaru barked his reply but Kiba still didn't like it. That attacked was still to dangerous. "We can't Akamaru. There's nobody here to back us up, it be way too dangerous," He put his focus back on his enemies. He didn't like keeping his eyes off them for two long. "You understand, don't you? If we wipe out that jutsu, we'll use up what little chakra we have left. And when it's over we won't be able to move. If miss, we'll have died for nothing." He hated how it sound but Kiba needed to go with his mind and not his gut. He couldn't have the two of them dying like this.

Akamaru didn't agree with this and went at Kiba, biting his hand until he drew blood from his bite. He growled and held on tight, telling him he wouldn't let go and give up this fight without even trying.

"Akamaru…" Kiba looked down at his dog, he could hear him giving out a soft growl but he knew Akamaru was also crying. He didn't like biting Kiba, the two cared too much about each other to hurt one another, but Akamaru did it for a reason. Suddenly Sakon and Ukon moved and started to come after them, Akamaru let go of Kiba and got in front of him, ready to take on the two twins.

Kiba gave a pained smiled down to his dog, watching him standing in front of him like this. _"I must be a lousy master for you to bite me like that." _He looked down at the bite mark for a moment then brought his full attention back to the fight. _"Ok, Akamaru, it's just like you said. We're all out of options." _Kiba forced his body to stand up, despite the pain his was feeling he would stand up and fight. "Wolf Fang Over Fang, it is." Akamaru charged at their enemy, dodging the attacks thrown at him. The attacks got sent at Kiba next, he blocked the first one but the next one he let happen. The fist hit his stomach, causing blood to gush from his mouth as he cried in pain, his hood flying off and his had to dig his feet into the ground to keep from flying with it.

Sakon laughed with glee when it seemed Kiba had become unconscious from their attack but gasped when Kiba grabbed his arm. "Now Akamaru!" He called forth to his best friend, ready to get this attack underway. _"Do your thing, Akamaru. Show 'em what all that training was for!" _Kiba silently cheered on his dog in his mind as he watched him jump in the air, flying right above them and peed on their enemy.

"Dynamic marking!" Kiba cried out the attack, the dog's urine flying onto the twins.

The two stepped away, rubbing pee out of their eyes. "What kind of cheap trick is that?" Sakon cried out in disgust.

Kiba jumped away, now it was time to perform the jutsu. _"Ok, we're good to go!" _He jumped up in the air, Akamaru landing on his head as he made the proper hand signs. "Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Transformation Combo! Two-Headed Wolf!" A giant puff of smoke appeared and out popped a giant white dog that looked like a giant wolf form of Akamaru with two giant heads and both eyes glowing red. Both heads had sharp teeth that looked like they could cut through just about anything and they were both drooling out puddles of drool as the growled down at the two twins. Sharp claws the size of a regular arm so sharp they made a sword look dull.

Sakon laughed once again. "All of that flourish and it's nothing but a big slobbering mongrel."

"What could that mutt possibly do?" Ukon agreed with his brother. He wasn't impressed or scared at this giant double headed wolf.

In a flash Kiba and Akamaru jumped forth and started to spin around just like they do in Fang Over Fang, only this one was much faster and stronger then their normal one. "Take this!" Kiba growled out, aiming their attack at Sakon and Ukon. Even though the two jumped away the mere wind force of their attack was able to cut at Ukon's leg. "The drool!" Sakon noticed too late that they had landed in the giant puddle of drool that was being spilled before and were losing their balance.

"Sakon, you idiot! On your right!" Ukon warned his brother of the upcoming attack.

Sakon turned his head and finally noticed it but it was too late. "Son of a…!" They were hit before he could finish.

"Wolf Fang Over Fang!" Kiba cried out as their attack took down Sakon and Ukon. The spinning force of the two so strong it looked like sparks of lighting were being sent out. They kept going despite all the rocks that were in their way, Sakon and Ukon's body being taken along for the ride like a lifeless dummy. In one moment the two were separated and Kiba and Akamaru stopped their attack to look on at their victory.

"Ha! How'd ya like that?" Kiba's head talked out at the lifeless corpse on the ground. "Wolf Fang Over Fang revolution speed is so intense we can't see anything while we're attacking. But it'll cut you even without direct contact, and if it hits you you'll be ripped to shreds!" He was proud of himself as he explained what the real power of their jutsu was. The battle was finally over.

"Huh?" Or was it?

The two bodies were moving, arms and legs growing out from where the body was cut in half. The new formed arms and legs looked like giant armor with spikes growing out of them, the body parts looked like they were made of some kind of metal. Kiba and Akamaru were in shock at these new events, neither was expecting the two to re-grow parts of their body and make them come out looking like that.

"Careful kid, don't get ahead of yourself." Ukon warned Kiba, not liking how confident he had sounded before when it looked like he had won.

"This is perfect," Sakon sounded so pleased with these new events. "We were just thinking it'd be a good idea to separate."

Kiba's mouth was wide open, words could not form as he watched these events take place take place. He watched the two bodies begin to grow out new arms and legs, like they hadn't even been touched by his attack. By all rights these two should be dead but instead they were alive and each one had their own separate body. _"What the hell? They spilt in two?" _

"It's true," Ukon stood up next to his brother. "If we had the full grunt of that attack it would have been bad,"

"But now the real battle begins." Sakon finished for his brother, he wanted to fight and play with their opponents more now after seeing that attack.

Kiba stepped back on his giant paw and struggled to stand up. _"Damn it!" _He growled, his body was shaking and was in a lot more pain then he was before he ever did the jutsu. Akamaru was whining in pain as well but also speaking of their situation. _"Yeah, I know Akamaru. Only one more chance for Wolf Fang Over Fang. The next shot will be our last." _The two Inuzukas watched the twins for a moment then readied themselves for their attack. _"This time they're going down!" _They went in for the attack, same as before but they needed to make it count. If they missed then it would be all over for them.

"Wolf Fang Over Fang!"

Sakon and Ukon spilt up, each one hiding behind a boulder as the watched the giant whirlwind of the two Inuzukas spin around.

"There's no use hiding," Kiba warned them both, the whirlwind looking down at the two. "I told you, we're not using our eyes, we marked you earlier on. So now we can track you just by scent!" They went in for another attack.

"Summoning jutsu! Rashōmon!" Instead of hitting their opponents, Kiba and Akamaru were stopped by a giant demonic looking gate. They dented it but fell to the ground right after impact.

"Impressive," Sakon looked on at the giant dog falling at them and the dent that they made. "Rashōmon is our greatest defense for Lord Orochimaru, and for him to dent it like that…"

"But it doesn't matter." Ukon finished for his brother, not caring about the dent and only the battle and what he can now do to their weaken opponent.

The two twins jumped at the giant wolf. "This is the end!"

However before they could attack, Akamaru opened his eyes and did one final attack. He peed in Sakon's eyes, burning them and making him unable to fight. Ukon upset by this, hit Akamaru and sent the puppy flying to the ground.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cried once he saw him get hit. _"No! You were trying to protect me." _He felt ashamed of himself for letting his dog get hurt like that, he should have been the one to try and protect him not the other way around. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right for him to get hurt like that.

"Ahh! He did it again!" Sakon cried out, hands covering his eyes trying to help with the burning. "My eyes!" He cried again and again as the burning sensation kept getting worse and worse.

"_Damn it!" _Kiba growled, watching Sakon shake in pain. He was angry and ready to shed blood. How dare someone hurt Akamaru!

"This is worse then the last time! It's…some sort of acid. My eyeballs feel like they're burning!" Sakon cried out once again of the pain he was going through and Kiba couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and happiness. He deserved it after what happened to Akamaru and all the pain he and his brother had put them through.

Kiba didn't let himself concentrate on that for too long, he finally noticed that Ukon was missing. _"Where'd the other one go?" _He looked around for any signs of the other twin, his eyes and nose searching the entire area.

"Boo." Kiba gasped when he finally noticed where Ukon was. He was on his body, inside his own just like before with his brother. His head was on his right shoulder, looking at him as Kiba froze from fear and shock. "Looking for someone kid?" Ukon taunted him.

Sakon was still crying and Ukon decided to help out his brother. "Go wash your eyes in that river. I'll take care of the rest."

Kiba tried to hit Ukon out of his body but an arm grew out of him and stopped the upcoming punch. "Unique ability, I know…helps with assassination." Ukon taunted him once more; he wanted Kiba to feel fear in his heart. "A sharp sense of smell and a set of claws aren't going to be enough to beat me. Face it, you're in over your over head little dog." Kiba growled, struggling to free his arm and beat this guy. He didn't want him being anywhere on his body, it felt too weird having him so close. The only two he would ever allow to be this close to him would be Akamaru and Sakura. He struggled to break free but Ukon's hold on his arm was to strong, it was slowly choking him. "You know that the net work in our bodies through which chakra passes is deeply interwoven with our organs, do you not?" Ukon began his own explanation of his jutsu and how he was making it work. "It's a maze threaded through the tissues that make up our organs, the cells that make up those tissues. Even within each individual protein, the very building blocks of our cells. Once in stage two I'm able to use chakra to dismantle and reconstruct these cells and proteins at will. Breaking my body down into tiny particles I seek to my own opponent, then I return to my original form inside their body."

Kiba didn't care for any of this, it may have told him what was going on with his body but it didn't help him with how to get Ukon out of him. _"Akamaru!" _He gazed at his companion, lying down unconscious and unmoving. Had it not been for Kiba's sharp eyes and hearing he would have thought Akamaru was dead but he could tell that he was still alive. He was just passed out from the fight the both had. _"I'm…sorry, Akamaru. We've always been a team, together, wherever we went…" _Kiba's mind flashed him back to the start of the Chunin exams where they had to cheat on the test. Akamaru sitting on his head looking at all the answers, he had a clear view of Sakura's paper but both dog and master refused to cheat off of her. It didn't feel right to use her to help them cheat. Next was the two of them jumping through the trees as they got their scroll to the second part of the exam.

The Forest of Death wasn't such a scary place, the only real thing that was scary was them having to witness Gaara and having him almost killed them. To this day Kiba still doesn't know how he spotted them, they were at a good distance and they weren't making a lot of noise, how he found them would always remain a mystery to him and his teammates. The only thing that his teammates knew was the real reason why he wanted to take more scrolls from people. It wasn't because he wanted to lessen the competition, both knew Kiba loved to fight, they learned later that he was doing it for Sakura. He was worried about her and her team and how they were doing, he saw that they were fighting before and he didn't want her to get hurt or be disappointed if they didn't make it. Also, he wanted to lessen the competition for her so Sakura wouldn't have to fight any really strong opponents.

He then thought of his fight with Naruto, both he and Akamaru were shocked at how strong the kid had gotten and really underestimated the boy. The wanted a rematch against him and vowed to get one after they became stronger. Finally his mind went to this morning where Shikamaru was gathering everyone for the team to bring back Sasuke, how Akamaru tried to steal one of Chouji's chip and then the two of them had to break out of the giant rocked container they were trapped in. He thought of every time he spent with Akamaru since this whole mess started and wanted to cry at how the outcome was turning out.

"_But, I think this time we're sunk old friend." _If Kiba could have, he would have dropped his head in defeat but the arm Ukon had was keeping him from not only breathing but from moving as well.

"My cells are moving freely throughout your body," Ukon started up again and Kiba was getting tried of hearing his voice. "I can even generate parts that are solely yours. In other words, we're slowly fusing together. We'll be sharing a body."

Kiba moved his head enough to glare at Ukon. "Sharing…a body?" He growled at the mere thought of sharing his body with the likes of this creature. He'd rather be burned alive then have someone like him share his body.

"That's right," Ukon chuckled. "I'm going to snuff out your life as only I can, by eradicating all the cells in your body inside out."

"I see…" Kiba struggled again to break free but it was no use, his body was frozen. Ukon had him trapped. His eyes fell to the knocked out form of Akamaru and once more he felt like crying. It was his fault that Akamaru had suffered, if he had been stronger then none of this would have happened, but now was not the time to be depressed about his current situation. With the last of his strength, Kiba took in a deep breath to catch of with of Sakura's scent. The one coming from the handkerchief that he had taken from her room not long ago, like always her scent gave him the strength he needed in battle."…in that case," Kiba pulled out a kunai and stabbed the side of his body, body gushing out from his wound, his mouth, and from Ukon's as well. "What if I do this? Then what happens?" He struggled for his words despite the pain and kept the kunai in.

"Suicide?" Ukon struggled his own words out as he gasped at this sudden action. He had expected for Kiba to take this action, most of his opponents would usually be frozen in fear at this point; none had ever tried to make this attempt before. "You're crazy!"

Kiba looked back at the head that was growing out of him and smirked. "Time for you to die."

Kiba struggled to keep the kunai in but it was getting harder and harder as the pain kept increasing. He wanted to pull it out, and it wasn't helping that Ukon was screaming in his ear trying to force his body to remove it, but he would not take it out. Even with his own screams of pain he kept it in, fought back the pain, and would not let go until Ukon was dead.

"Are you mad? What are you doing?" Ukon couldn't believe the desperate action that Kiba had taken. He wasn't use to this, his normal opponents would be too scared or he would have already killed them by now. None had ever tried this mentioned before so he wasn't prepared for this, and he hadn't expected a kid like him to try something to drastic either.

Kiba took the kunai out for a moment; he needed to catch his breath and get another whiff of Sakura's scent. The pain was getting too much and causing him to lose his hold on the kunai but like before once he got her scent he gained back the strength he lost. "If we really share the same body, I guess you feel whatever I feel, don't ya?"

"Damn you." Ukon cursed at him for figuring this out.

Kiba laughed when this time he saw the pain and confusion that was now in Ukon's eyes. "It hurts, doesn't it? Well come on, I know one way to stop the pain." He took another whiff and aimed the kunai for his heart. His body went rigged as the fear of dying over took him, he wanted to live and return him. He had his family and friends all waiting for him, he wanted to get back so Akamaru could be healed up, and he wanted to be back where Sakura was. He truly hated the thought of leaving her, he always wanted to be by her side. Just him, her, Akamaru, and the great family they could have. It was a perfect setting in his mind, he would go off to accept his mission while she stayed home to take care of the kids, on his days off they would go to the park and play with their children and their companions, send them off to the academy to become ninjas like their parents, and when the time came they would die together. It was a perfect setting but it looked like his perfect dream would never come true.

"No, you fool! Stop! Stop!" Ukon cried out in fear but Kiba wouldn't listen to him. "Sorry, too late." Kiba sent the kunai into his body, ready to accept the pain and leave behind the world that he had grownup in.

"No!" However at the last moment, Ukon separated from his body and Kiba missed his heart. He cried out in pain again as the kunai made contact with his flesh, the pain increasing by the second. He could sudden feel the cold hands of death begin to wrap around him.

Ukon sat up and checked out his wound. "That's not enough blood for a fatal wound." Kiba growled in pain as he turned his body to face Ukon and pulled the kunai out of his stomach. With the last of his strength he sent the kunai for his head but Ukon stopped it with his armored hand. Too bad for him that Kiba had a backup plan, two smoke bombs exploded causing Ukon to become temporary blinded, this gave Kiba the chance to run and hide.

"Where is he? The little brat!" Once it did clear Ukon was not please. He searched around for any signs of Kiba but so far he saw none. All he saw was the fallen form of Akamaru and laughed with joy. "So he ran away and left his little doggy behind. A logical decision, but pretty cold-blooded even for me." He made his way towards Akamaru, ready to kill the dog, but a trapped was all that he found. Akamaru's fallen form began to smoke and expand until a barrage of kunai appeared, cutting open Ukon's body.

* * *

Kiba panted from his spot, he was hiding behind a boulder a good few feet away from the trap he set up for Ukon. Yet he still didn't feel safe, he knew never to underestimate an opponent and there was no way he would let himself believe that one trap was enough to finish him off. Akamaru was in his lap, still unconscious but at least he was breathing. His hand went through Akamaru's fur, petting him and trying to comfort the dog even with him knocked out. Kiba wanted his dog to know that he was there for him and he wouldn't let anything happen to him. _"It's ok, he's still breathing." _He told himself, trying to calm his racing heart. It wouldn't do him any good if his body was on edge, his senses wouldn't work then. _"What a relief." _A sadden smile was on is face as he looked down at Akamaru, eyes fighting to not only stay open but to hold back his tears. He suddenly wanted to cry a lot lately.

He groaned when another wave of pain came at him, more blood leaking out of his wound from this. If he didn't do something fast to close the wound, he would be dead in a matter of minutes from blood loss. He knew that but he kept his focus on his dog.

"_Good boy, Akamaru. You really gave it your all. Thanks to you, we were able to stall the enemy and beat him up pretty good too." _Kiba continued to pet his dog, it hurt him more to see his best friend in pain like this then the wound he had given himself. _"You rest now, you've done enough for one day." _Kiba had one more flash back, to the day he had first gotten Akamaru. His mom and Hana were happy that he had gotten Akamaru and so was Kiba, even if the little guy had peed on his face after he picked him up. Even with that Kiba still loved the dog and played with him everyday before and after he graduated from the academy. Of course his mom had hit him because she thought he was goofing around to much and told Kiba that he and Akamaru needed to get stronger together. And they did, every day and every night the trained whenever they had the chance, both wanted to become stronger so that they would never have to worry about being separated from one another.

"_And we'll be together for a long time to come boy, I'll see to that." _He gave his silent vow to his best friend. _"I'll take better care of you from now on." _

"First thought we have to get out of here," Kiba whispered out, he was worried that Ukon might be looking for him. Even with his trap of Kunai he knew the guy would still be alive and it wouldn't help if he brought his twin with him, there was no way Kiba could fight either of them. His body was too weak now, from the jutsu and the self inflected wounds, all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball with Akamaru in an opened field, Sakura's handkerchief in one hand while the other was used as a pillow, and they would watch as the clouds go by and listen to what's happening to the world around them. "I'll get us home, I swear it." Kiba tried standing up but his body wouldn't have it. It sent him back down to the ground, he knew he had to get moving before they found him but he also needed to rest and regain enough strength to move.

"Man, this really sucks," Kiba rested his head against the boulder, closing his eyes, and allowing some form of sleep to come to him. _"I just need to rest now. It's all I can do at the moment. Once I'm recovered enough energy I'll take Akamaru and get moving far enough that we'll be safe." _Too bad the only safe place in Kiba's mind would be the village, him inside of Sakura's room as his nose was filled up with her sweet cherry scent.

"Sakura…" His eyes opened to stare at the river that was in front of him, he had a bitter smile on his face as he imaged her face in the river smiling at him. He missed her smile, her laughter, but most of all he missed her being by his side. "I was a really stupid kid," He commented, thinking back to the day when he found out that Sakura had feelings for Sasuke. "I should have kept being her friend instead of just ignoring her, I must have hurt her pretty badly but I couldn't help myself. I was a spoiled selfish kid who didn't like sharing anything. I know now if I stayed as her friend then there probably would be a good chance that we would have been a lot closer now, maybe she would have even forgotten about Sasuke and returned my feelings instead." Kiba whimpered out, hand running over his eyes. "Listen to me, I sound like an old man on his deathbed, talking about his life's regrets." But that is what he was doing. Kiba could still feel the cold hands of death wrapping around him, the blood loss was beginning to make his mind spin and his body even weaker.

"I need to stop the bleeding," He reached into his pocket and pulled out Sakura's handkerchief, his eyes staring at it for a long time. It was all he had on him at the moment but he didn't want to use it. It was Sakura's and he didn't want to get any blood on it, it was to important to him to ever ruin it, besides he knew he would have to return it to her eventually. "This is the only thing I have and I can't even think about getting blood on it." He let out a soft bitter chuckle at his fate. He had something to help stop the bleeding but his feelings for Sakura were stopping him from using it.

He traced his thumb over the design that was on it. "If ma could see me now she'd probably hit me on the head." He gave another bitter laugh but kept his hand on the handkerchief. He unfolded it to look at the full size of it, although he looked over it the night he had first taken it, Kiba still couldn't figure out where he had seen this piece of fabric before. The fabric was a light tan one with pink and red cherry blossoms that looked like they were dancing all around the piece of fabric. He gave a content smile at it and placed it where his wound was, he could feel his blood begin to spread over the handkerchief but he gave a low grunt of pain and let the piece of cloth do its job.

The blood was stopping now, he could feel that the cloth was doing its job at stopping the blood loss from continuing and smiled. In a way it sort of felt like it was Sakura's own hand that was holding his wound, healing it with all her strength while she whispered sweet words into his ear. His body relaxed in an instant and suddenly Kiba's mind wasn't so clouded over from dizziness, his senses were coming back and he felt like he could move again. "Even when I'm down, all I need is Sakura and I can get back up." He commented before putting the cloth back inside his pocket, it was time to put his focus back on the enemy.

Suddenly the winds began to move and Kiba stiffened up. _"I can smell 'em, coming this way. They're close." _He looked out behind the boulder and gasped when he saw the drops of blood that were on the ground. _"I left a trail of blood leading right to me!" _How cold he be so stupid and not notice the trail he had left behind for his enemy to follow. If he could have he would have hit himself but for now he needed to focus on getting away. _"Well Akamaru, that trick bought us some time but it looks like I may have gotten a little carried away with it." _He chuckled at his own foolishness before groaning in pain. Even if the blood had stopped the pain was still there and no matter how much he imaged Sakura with him, the pain would not leave him.

He gave a low sigh before his body went ridged and his nose picked three different smells. _"That scent! Wait a minute!" _He gasped and lifted his head up higher so he could get a better smell of what the wind was carrying. He had to be sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. _"Why? What the hell would they be doing here?" _He thought he was screwed before but now he knew that he really was if those three found him. _"I don't know what's going on but one thing's for sure, we gotta best it. Fast!" _He tried to stand up and runaway before those three made it anywhere near him but his wound stopped him. The pain was too much, it caused him to collapse back on the ground and bite back down another cry of pain.

"_Now way, I'm to dizzy. Lost too much blood, I'm afraid I'm in no better shape then you are boy." _Kiba pet Akamaru once again trying to come up with an idea that would save them. So far all he could think of was taking his and Akamaru's own life so they wouldn't have to go through whatever kinds of torture those guys had in store for them. "Sorry, Akamaru."

* * *

If Kiba had the strength he would have screamed every word in the book at Sasuke for putting him, Akamaru, and all his friends in this crappy situation. It was his entire damn fault for running away from the village and leaving everyone behind and now they were all suffering for it. He had Akamaru on his lap while he grounded up some herbs that Hana had showed him that helped close and heal wounds. He had escaped by traveling by the river, giving him and Akamaru the remaining food pills that he had to keep from passing out, but they didn't seem to be having to much of an effect.

"_Ok, Akamaru, hang in there boy." _His hand held a tight grip on the rock he was using to ground up the herb. He needed to hurry before they were found again, he knew he had left another trail from the river but he had lost him when he dried off, but even so he still didn't feel safe. He groaned once the herb was finished and applied it to both his and Akamaru's wounds.

He titled his head back to try and lessen the pain but caught another whiff of the three scents that seemed to be following them. "What is this? Whatever it is, it doesn't look good." He jumped back into the run, a fallen branch in one hand to cover them up so that they only looked like fallen leaves floating down the river. He needed to get away before they found him; there was no way he could take any one of them on. Even if he was at full strength he knew he was no match for them.

"_Damn it! Those sand guys are here and coming along fast." _Kiba cursed what bad luck he was having and picked up his speed in the river. _"That sand guy, Gaara is coming up and his two siblings as well. That guy, he hurt Sakura, almost killed her but I heard Naruto had beaten him. So why are they coming back? Don't tell me they want to finish the job!" _Kiba stopped swimming once that thought had reached his mind. What if they had come back to finish the job? What if that Gaara kid came back because he wants to try and kill Sakura again?

"Sakura!" Kiba jumped forth, wanting to head back to the village as soon as possible to warn them of the danger that was heading there way but was stopped by the pain once more. He had to stop from moving before he sunk to the bottom of the river. He hated this! He hated that he was so weak; he couldn't do anything but run away and hide. Right now he was struggling to get back on dry land, hiding behind a tree like the true coward that he was. He hated this; he really hated how this whole mess started.

"_That's it, I can't go any further." _He was panting, trying to catch his breath. His body was exhausted and felt like it would shut down at any moment. Suddenly he heard the sound of water and someone walking. _"Are you kidding me? He's already caught up" _How could he have caught up with him so fast? He was sure he had put enough distance between them long enough for Kiba to call for help but that didn't seem likely anymore.

All he could do now was wait and listen as Ukon was getting closer and closer to him, he could hear the footsteps becoming clearer by the second. He was there in the forest that he was hiding in and getting closer and closer to Kiba. Suddenly Ukon stopped and turned in another direction.

"_His scent, he's moving away." _He gave a long sigh of relief and leaned against the tree. "That was close."

"What was?"

Suddenly the world seemed to freeze, it was like time had stopped and Kiba felt like his heart would stop working at any moment. His body was shaking, breath coming out in short gasps as he turned to see Ukon crouching down by him. Looking pleased that he had found Kiba.

"But how did you…?" He didn't understand. He could smell his scent going in the other direction.

"I knew that it would work," Ukon laughed with joy as his plan had worked and he found his prey.

"My jacket!" Kiba growled and his hatred for this guy grew as well. No wonder why he didn't smell him, he was use to his own scent so he didn't smell it when it was being carried in the wind. His jacket had covered up Ukon's scent, concealing it from him. Kiba growled and thought about the handkerchief that was now in his pants pocket instead of his jackets. He had brought it with him in case he needed to stop the bleeding again and because it was Sakura's he wanted to have a piece of her with him. _"Damn it! If I had left it in there then this guy wouldn't have found me!" _He cursed his own foolishness once more.

"You're so used to your own smell you didn't even notice it on the wind." He explained what Kiba already knew.

"So you were sulking around in my jacket to cover up your own scent. You seem to know a lot about tracking. No wonder I couldn't smell you," This really did seem to have a lot of knowledge, a lot more than Kiba would have thought. He tried hiding Akamaru away from the guy, trying to keep him safe but things were hopeless now, he was trapped. "Guess I should be surprised, right? Seriously, how in the world am I supposed to keep track of somebody who can spilt in half?" He was screwed but that didn't mean he had to go crying like a big baby. If it was his time to die then he would die like the true Inuzuka warrior that he was. One who was full of pride and life. "Well come on then…"

Kiba waited as Ukon pulled out his Kunai, ready to be used on him to take his life away. "You're staring death in the face, shouldn't you be screaming for mercy or something?" Ukon was taunting him, he wanted to get some sort of rouse out of Kiba. Instead he only laughed and watched at he came at him with the weapon that would kill him and take him from this world.

"You're gonna die kid! Wipe that grin off you face!" Ukon went in for the kill.

However today was not the day Kiba would die.

Suddenly a giant puppet that Kiba had recognized instantly was in front of him, shielding his body from the attack. "What the hell?" Ukon was surprised by this sudden appearance and Kiba was right with him. He knew they were coming, the sand ninjas, but he didn't know they had come to help them.

"Well what do you know," Kiba grinned when he saw this. "Looks like we're on the same side." The battle started up again soon enough only this time it was Kankuro against Ukon and the puppet seemed like it was throwing Ukon off his game. "So you fight with puppets?" It didn't look like he was used to fighting people who used the puppet master jutsu so this fight should be fun to watch. "Hey wait a second, when you showed up weren't you in a group with three people?" Kiba wanted to know where the other two went.

"The other two went on ahead cause you guys couldn't hack it." Kankuro was the one taunting him now but Kiba couldn't really bring himself to be annoyed by the guy.

In fact he was enjoying the new found appliance. It gave him a challenge to look forward to in the future. "Listen moron, these enemies aren't exactly light weights." He sniffed the air and found where Sakon was. "Behind you!"

Sakon had Kankuro in a flash and Kiba couldn't do anything. "It's no use, I can't move!" He wanted to help but his body was in too much pain for him to try and attack. For a second he was worried but where Kankuro was another one of his puppets appeared. Now it really was time for the fight to start.

* * *

The battle was over soon enough, Kankuro had both twins killed by his two puppets and had won the fight. It made Kiba feel a little inferior but he would work hard once he was healed enough. They were all taken back to the Leaf Village where everyone was being treated by Lady Tsunade and handed picked doctors. He heard Neji and Chouji had gotten hurt a lot more then he did and the mission was a failure, Hana had told him that Sasuke had tried to kill Naruto but in the end let him live. Kakashi-sensei was the one to bring the unconscious body of Naruto's back to the village.

Right now he was bandaged up in a hospital bed, surrounded by the dog companions of his family and Hana in the room with him, healing up Akamaru's wounds. "Well sis?" He needed to know that Akamaru was going to be okay. He didn't think he could go on without his best friend. "How is he?"

Hana was thoroughly examining Akamaru, cutting over his body for any wounds, poisons, infections, anything that could be life threatening to the dog. "Well, no long walks for him anytime soon, that's for sure." She pet the small dog's head, he was still unconscious but he was alive and well.

Kiba wasn't satisfied with that answer. He wanted his dog to be fully recovered and to know that he would be alright. "Can't you do anything for him? You're a vet!"

"Not a magician," Hana looked at her brother, she cared for both of them and wanted to heal Akamaru up but there was only so much that she could do. "It takes time, but relax his life is not in danger." Kiba gave a quick sigh of relief but then groaned when his body was swallowed over by another wave of pain. It hurt too much to move. "No long walks for you anytime soon either." Hana added when she saw how much pain her brother was in.

"I got it, don't worry." Kiba understood and knew he needed to rest otherwise he would be stuck in the hospital longer then he had to be.

"Kiba…" Hana called his attention so he looked at her but instead his attention was brought onto what she had thrown on top of him. "I think you'll want this."

He looked over what she had thrown over is chest and saw that it was his jacket, the same one that he had worn to the Chunin exams and the one that Sakura herself had worn. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and was surprised by how strong the smell of Sakura was. "But how…?"

"The day you left Sakura came over the house," Hana explained moving the jacket so that it was next to Kiba's head and not on his body. She didn't need the nurses complaining about it being in the way and she figured he would like it better like this, the smell of it would be closer to his nose. "She was crying pretty hard after she told me what had happened."

Kiba moved his gaze away from the jacket, he remembered Sakura crying that day. It was a horrible thing to see the one you love cry for another man but even now in his bed all broken and bruised he still couldn't bring himself to hate Sakura. "I know she was crying, I watched her break down in front of Naruto, begging him to bring Sasuke back to her." His voice was starting to become lower, it pained him to have to admit that Sakura wanted Sasuke more than him.

"Do you know why she begged Naruto to bring Sasuke back?" Hana ran one hand through her little brother's hair. "And before you start it's not because she loves Sasuke more than you."

"What are you saying sis?" Kiba didn't understand what his sister was talking about. That had to be the only reason why Sakura begged Naruto, because she had chosen Sasuke over him. "She loves Sasuke, not me."

Hana let out a sigh from how her brother was acting. "I swear you hit your head too much on this mission," She flicked his ear and laughed when he groaned in annoyance. "When Sakura came by she told me that she had lost you. She only asked Naruto so desperately because she felt that she had hurt you so much that you hated her."

"Hate her?" The words "Hate" and "Sakura" would always be foreign to Kiba, there would be nothing in this world that could make him hate her. "I could never hate Sakura, she's too important to me! Why would she think…?"

"Because you thought she had chosen Sasuke," Hana stopped him. "When you heard that Sakura had tried to stop Sasuke the night he left you assumed she had chosen him over you and that's what caused her to think like that. She felt like she had lost everything so she asked Naruto to bring back an old dream she once lived in." Hana gave her brother once last smile before heading towards the door.

"A dream?" Kiba didn't understand what she meant by that.

Hana nodded and looked back at her brother. "A dream that she used to live in before she found out who she really loved." With that said Hana Inuzuka left her brother's hospital room and went home.

Kiba listened to the retreating sounds of his sister's footsteps before turning his attention back to his jacket. It was resting right beside his head, the scent of Sakura was so strong on it that it felt like she was lying right next to him. A small cracked its way upon his face as he moved his head enough to take in another deep breath of Sakura's scent. There was mixer of tears and love in this jacket now. Tears that she shed for him because she believed that she had hurt him and love because Kiba now knew that Sakura really did love him.


	15. New Beginning

Chapter 15: New Beginnings

Sakura just kept telling herself to breath and she would be fine. It was a normal trip to the hospital, something she has done many times before. Only this time was completely different from the last times she visited a person in the hospital. Most of those times she came for Sasuke, even Lee and Naruto, but now she was going to visit Kiba. The guy who she had grown up with, the guy who has been in love with her since the beginning, and the guy whose heart she had broken. Sakura let out a long sigh as she turned down a corner of the hospital hallway and heading for his room. She knew she had hurt Kiba, the day she went to beg Naruto to bring Sasuke back she could see it through her tears. The hurt and betrayal he felt when he heard her begging for the return of another man. "He must really hate me." She sighed again and leaned up against the wall. Kiba's room was at the very end of the hall, she only had to walk a few more steps and she would be at his room.

"_What am I doing?" _she had just gotten back from her mission with Naruto and Jiraiya, they went to find Sasuke together but found nothing but a clan that was destroyed by Orochimaru. She had watched Naruto fight against the mutated ninjas and see up-close just how strong he had become. _"I need to get stronger too." _Naruto had been hurt on the mission and she had decided to get in some training herself. She had asked the fifth Hokage, Tsunade, to train her in the art of Medical Ninjutsu. It would be a hard road but she would do it, not just for Sasuke but for Naruto too.

She was so tired of being the weak little girl that could only cry and watch while the others fought for her. She was deadweight but she would stop that soon enough. Her training with Tsunade would begin tomorrow and she needed to be completely dedicated and focused on it if she wanted to get stronger. Only to do that she needed to have a clear head and she couldn't have one if Kiba kept coming into her mind.

She had hurt him badly, Inuzukas were known as passionate and loyal people and the way she had acted that day was like she had spite on his culture. She broke her promise to him and broke his heart all at the same time. "I'm the worst type of person." She wanted to make amends with him, maybe get back the friendship they used to have when they were kids. She knew he probably wouldn't love her anymore, why would he after what she did to him?

"You know you're making him go crazy by just standing there?" Sakura jumped when Hana suddenly appeared next to her, an amused grin on the Inuzuka's face. "You might want to come in the room before he starts ripping at the bed sheets again." she pointed to the closed door that was Kiba's room. It was closed completely and Sakura didn't hear a sound coming from the room but Hana had super hearing so it must be normal for her to hear things other can't.

"I'm not sure I can," Sakura looked down pitifully at her feet. "After what I did, I'm sure he probably hates me. I'm such an idiot." The sound of a vase breaking and someone screaming reached her ears.

"You have no idea how wrong you are," Hana ran her hands through her pink locks and Sakura leaned into the touch. "Kiba can never hate you, Sakura. You are so important to him that I couldn't even begin to explain it to you," another amused grin came onto her face and she started pulling at Sakura's hand. "But I know someone who can." And with that Sakura found herself being pulled towards the closed door that held inside what sounded like an agitated Inuzuka.

Her heart sped up when Hana had her hand on the lock but she would not run. She gulped down whatever fears she was feeling and let Hana open the door when she saw Kiba pacing back and forth and dodging his mother and Shino's attempts as they were trying to get him to lie back down on the bed. He seemed pretty distracted and lost in his mind, it considered her and she wanted to know what he was thinking about so much that he was pacing like he was about to put a whole in the floor.

She didn't get the chance to ask, as soon as the door closed behind her Kiba stopped in his tracks and looked in her direction. She was expecting to see anger or hate or sadness but she saw the exact opposite of that. In his eyes were excitement, happiness, and love. "Sakura," he jumped at her, making her fall to the ground while his head rested in her lap. "You came back." She was confused. _"Isn't he supposed to be screaming at me?" _even if Hana said he didn't hate her, she had been expected some kind of anger from him. She had thought he would yell at her for being stupid or something along that line, not jump at her and put his head in her lap.

"_I will never understand Inuzuka emotions." _It was like a messed up roller coaster for her and she didn't know when the exit would be coming.

"What do you mean?" Did he think she left the village to join Sasuke? She wouldn't do that. She was not the same desperate twelve year old girl that she was back at the academy. Now she was a confused thirteen year old girl that was trying to find herself.

"I heard from Shino that you and Naruto suddenly disappeared," he put his head back up and helped her stand up. "The whole village was worried about you guys." He was pulling her to the bed, making her sit down beside him and Akamaru.

Sakura blinked in confusion, she didn't know if her eyes were just playing tricks on her or if she was seeing was real. "Oh, okay." in the room was Kiba's mother, sister, and his teammate Shino. _"Everyone who loves him and probably wants to hit me." _She would have groaned but knew it would only cause problems so she kept her body language neutral.

"Okay pup," Tsume came to stand in front of Kiba and pushed him down on the bed with a light shove. "She's here so lie down and rest. I don't feel like hearing the nurses complain again about your annoying behavior." Tsume growled and left the room soon after with Hana and Shino following behind her.

"Oh, before I forget," Hana stuck her head back in the room. "Don't worry Sakura, he just got some pain killers from the nurse so he may act a little strange from time to time." And with that said Hana left and the two Genin were all alone.

Sakura sat on the edge of the bed, even more confused than when she first entered the room. "What just happened?" This was not how she expected her visit with Kiba to be. Was this all some big joke they were planning to pull on her? She was tired from her recent mission and wanted to go back home and sleep but she needed to make peace with Kiba. "Listen Kiba, I-" she was stopped when she felt Kiba trying to pull her down next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to cuddle." He answered and he saw his eyes were slightly clouded over.

Sakura gave a weak chuckle at this look. _"Well there are those painkillers kicking in."_ Maybe she should come back when his mind isn't clouded over by the drugs in his system. "I'm glad to see you guys are better now." she reached over with her other hand and began to pet Akamaru. The puppy had a few bandages on him but he seemed fine, Kiba was the same. A few bandages on his face, some on his arms, and she saw his chest was wrapped up as well.

"Yeah, the enemy we fought was strong but we were stronger," he finally let go of her hand and fell back down on the bed, one arm going behind his head and the other still holding Sakura's hand. His expression suddenly turned grim. "Actually if that sand guy didn't show up we'd probably be dead right now." Sakura moved off the bed and sat down on the chair next to the bed. Kiba kept the small whine down in his throat, he like it better with her sitting on the bed. He could still smell her scent very well but just feeling her up close to him was better.

"I heard," she had been told by Tsuande of what happened. Kankuro, along with Temari and Gaara came rushing over from the Sand Village to help out the Leaf Village. "I'm glad you're alright." She felt his grip on her hand tighten and the cloudy look in his eyes disappeared, they were clear and showing her the emotions he felt. She saw anger, she had expected to see that but she hadn't expected to see fear in the usually brave and cocky Inuzuka.

"I'm glad myself," he looked over at her, his eyes seemed a little glossy, like he was going to cry.

"Kiba…" she reached her other hand over to rub his head, something she did to him when they were kids whenever he was upset, but he grabbed her other hand and pulled her back on the bed next to him. Her lying in his bandaged arms, her body engulfed in his broken one and felt a few tiny tremors escape him. He was trying to stop himself from crying.

"I ready," he had his face hidden in her hair, trying to hide away the fear and pain but Sakura knew. She wrapped her arms carefully around his body and held him. "I was ready to give up and let the guy kill me. Akamaru was unconscious and I was too injured to do anything but run. Those sound creeps were really freaky, I hate to admit it but I was scared," his hold on her tightened and she did the same with him, trying to tell him it was fine, everything was fine now. "I knew I was going to die. That guy could easily kill me and I was ready to escape it but I couldn't stop the fear that came up. I was scared of dying, of letting Akamaru die, and I was scared of dying and leaving you." Sakura couldn't take another minute of this. She lifted her head up and saw Kiba's eyes shut tight, hiding away the tears that were trying their hardest to escape. She couldn't let him keep feeling like this, she wouldn't! With great care she moved her hands up to him bandaged face, his red birthmarks still picking out through the bandages, and kissed him. She kissed him to calm him down, to show he had no more reason to be afraid, and to show that she was here with him. She had put him through so much these past few days and she needed to make up for it. She had hurt him and now she would fix that, she would fix the heart she cracked until it was completely healed. She would be with him.

Kiba was shocked so much he opened his sealed tight eyes; letting the tears he was trying to stop finally fall, and looked down at the pink-haired girl that was kissing him in his hospital bed. Not wanting her to stop, or think he wasn't enjoying the kiss, he responded and kissed her back. That feeling of a spark going off came again but this was different that the last time. This feeling was much stronger. He put one hand in her hair, letting the soft texture of it calm his shaking hands and the scent of her filling his clogged nose. The hospital always did that to him but nothing could ever stop him from smelling the sweet scent of cherries and cherry blossoms. The kiss they shared was soft but it held such strong feelings, a passion that was hidden in both their hearts but was unlocked once their lips made contact. It was an amazing feeling and both Genin were surprised by how one kiss could make them feel so different. Sakura no longer felt any fear of being hated and Kiba was no longer crying of the fears he felt on the battlefield. They were happy and in love and kissing the person they wanted to be with.

When the need for air became too great they reluctantly pulled out of the kiss but they never pulled away from each other. They were both lying on their backs, heads sharing the same pillow, and hands intertwined the whole time as they spoke.

"You know, this is a lot like the time I slept over your house." Sakura giggled, remembering the happy moments of her past. She really had missed being with Kiba, when he stopped being friends with her it had hurt her more than she would admit. Back than she believed Sasuke was her world so she tried ignoring the painful feeling she got whenever Kiba ignored her in the halls of the academy. If only she had realized that he was the one she loved and was only infatuated with Sasuke at the time. Maybe they would have had even happier memories together.

"I remember alright, Ino told you that story about monsters coming to get you unless you held hands," he chuckled and brought their joined hands up to their eye level, he wanted to see this moment happen. Sakura was with him, holding his hand, kissing him, and finally showing her the feelings he's always wanted from her. "That girl always did annoying stuff like that but I must admit I'm glad she told you that story," he turned his head over on the pillow; he wanted to see her face when he said this. He wanted to see what emotions would appear in her eyes. "It's because of that story that I got to hold you hand." He gave her a giant grin and let his cheeks turn the color of her hair. No more would he hide his feelings. They were out and he would tell her at every moment of their time together how much he really loved her.

Happiness flashed in her green colored eyes and Sakura had a feeling he saw this. The grin he wore simmered down to a content and grateful smile. He was happy. "I'll let you in on a little secret," she picked her head up until her mouth was directly above his ear. "I lied about the story." she quickly jumped away and threw the blankets over her head.

"What," Kiba wouldn't let her escape that easily. "You're telling me I got yelled at by Ino for nothing?" he tried pulling at the blankets with his fear hand but Sakura wasn't letting go. "No wonder Ino was pissed at me, I was screaming at her for nothing and you let it happen," he was trying to sound made but he couldn't keep down the amusement that was coming out. True to his words he had confronted Ino a few days later after their sleep over and yelled at her for telling Sakura such a scary story. They spent the rest of the day arguing it over with Ino denying she ever told the story and Kiba calling her a liar. "Great, now I own that stupid girl and apology." He finally let go of the blankets to try a sneaker attack. With his free hand he slowly slipped it under the sheets of the bed and poked at Sakura's side, a place he knew she was highly ticklish.

Sakura squeaked when she felt him poke her. "Kiba! You know I'm ticklish!" she scolded him, head popping out of the blankets to yell at him more but she was surprised to find a frowning Inuzuka staring down at her.

"Sakura," he pulled the blankets away from her so she couldn't hide anymore and placed his forehead on top of hers. "You got some explaining to do." He wanted to laugh when he saw her nervous look but he kept his face frowning.

Sakura gave a small laugh, "I didn't lie so much about the story. Ino did tell me a scary story about monsters coming out when it thunders but they go away when they see I'm not alone. I just lied about the part of holding hands really." She suddenly felt like playing with her fingers, much like Hinata when she gets nervous but her hand was still holding his and she didn't want to let go.

Kiba raised one eyebrow but kept the frown on his face. "So you lied about that just to hold my hand?" he asked, she nodded, and he tackled down to the bed in a hug. He was grinning ear to ear. "Glad to hear it."

Sakura started laughing at his goofy smiling face, "Kiba, I love you." She buried her face deep into his bandaged chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. Even with a bruised body it still gave off the same sound and went in time with her own heart.

Kiba felt his body freeze for a second, taking in what had just been told to him before he finally reacted. "Yahoo!" he jumped on the bed with Sakura in his arms. He and Akamaru were cheering cries of joy, both were happy this moment had finally come. "I love you too," it felt so good to confess this. "I've loved you my whole life." He collapsed on the bed with her still in his arms and the two Genin were laughing together in joy at being in the arms of the one they love.

"I know," Sakura was lying with her head resting just above his heart, listening to the beat of it. It was going so fast but so was hers. "I'm glad I met you." She was really glad she had meet Kiba. They may have gone through a lot of problems but moments like this made up for it.

"Same here," Kiba held her close, his chin resting on top of her head and on hand running his fingers through her soft pinks locks. "I like you hair." He had his other hand on her back, over the Haruno crest that would one day be replaced by his family's crest.

"I like the sound of your heart." She snuggled closer to her love and sighed at the feeling of content she was feeling. She didn't know anything could feel this nice.

Kiba gave a deep laugh and held her closer if possible. "I'm glad." This all seemed to perfect to be real but Kiba knew it was. He's had dreams of Sakura telling him she loved him before but none of his dreams ever made him feel this happy. His heart was telling him this was real, that the girl in his arms was indeed the real deal, and everything that was said between them was part of reality and not a dream.

They stayed like that for a long while, holding in each other in their arms and confessing over what they loved about they other. They wanted to make the most of the time they had together before they have to go back into the world that was full of darkness.

"I love your scent." Kiba was still lying on his back and happy that the painkillers were still working. Without them he would have felt pain with Sakura lying on top of him but for now he felt nothing but happiness.

"I love your birthmarks," Sakura reached one hand up and traced her thumb over the red upside down triangles. "They're cool."

Kiba smiled into her touch and licked her hand. "I love you."

"You said that already." She smiled up at him, not complaining that he was saying it again. "Not that I mind." She added.

"Well I'm going to keep saying it," he grinned down at her. "I'll say it everyday and more," he sat himself into a sitting position so that her head was sitting in his lap and he pulled the blanket over her form completely. "Now be quite, a nurse is coming." He commanded her and she would have complained but he put a hand over her mouth to keep her from speaking.

"Well isn't this a nice sight," the sound of a young female nurse coming in the room made Sakura stiffen. If they were caught now how would it look for her reputation? She just got Tsunade's approval of being her apprentice and she didn't need little incidents like this ruining that for her. She needed to get stronger if she was going to help Naruto bring Sasuke back. _"I'll keep quite for now but once she leaves I'm out of here. I need to get ready for my training." _Sakura thought this over and found herself a spot on Kiba's lap that was comfortable. She didn't know how long she would be here.

"I'm happy to see you're not trying to escape again Mr. Inuzuka." The nurse said and Sakura wanted to laugh. So Kiba hated hospitals? Maybe she could have some fun with that later.

"Yeah, well I guess I'm just in a good mood." Kiba had a wide grin on his face, Sakura could tell by how he was talking, he had one knee up so it would cover Sakura's form and Akamaru down by her feet. She was completely hidden away.

"And why are you in a good mood?" the nurse asked, unwrapping Kiba's bandages on his arms. He was almost completely healed now.

"Because I got the girl I love to finally be mine," he put his two arms behind his head while the nurse untied the bandages around his chest. The wound he created from the time Ukon had taken over his body, it was going to leave a scar but he didn't mind. Scars were cool. "Yeah, she finally realized that I was the man of her dreams and confessed her undying love for me," Sakura rolled her eyes at this. He was acting like a complete idiot and it was annoying her but she just kept her temper under control and let him speak his stupid nonsense. She had given him a few bad years with her crush on Sasuke so for now she would let him speak like a total fool. "Oh yeah, she's so in love with me. She came in here crying about how she was worried we would never be together again and threw herself into my arms, saying how she always wanted me by her side and – Ow!" Of course there is only so much a girl can take. Sakura finally had enough and gave Kiba's skin a nice long pinch. It was enough to shut the babbling Inuzuka up.

"Are you alright?" the nurse asked, concerned she was the reason why he was in pain.

"I'm fine," Kiba gave a weak chuckle. "I just scratched myself with one of my claws, that's all." He gave another weak laugh and the nurse joined in herself.

"Well do be more careful." With a smile wave and warning she left the room and the new couple alone.

"What was that for?" Kiba pulled the blankets off once the door to his room was closed.

"For saying such stupid things," Sakura shook her head at him, getting off the bed and standing up on her legs. Suddenly hiding like that made her body cramp up and she needed to stretch. "I can't believe you said those embarrassing things. When did I ever do any of that?" she waited for an answer but only got received the stares of Kiba looking at stretching. "Kiba!"

"What?" he saw the angry face she had on and sighed, he already knew what this was about. "I'm a teenage boy, what did you expect I would do with the girl I like?" so he was watching her stretch. He was growing boy with hormones starting to kick in; of course he was going to notice certain parts of girls.

"Hmph," Sakura crossed her arms and sat at the edge of the bed, arms crossed and head turned away from him. She didn't feel like talking to him now.

With another sigh Kiba reached over and pulled her into his arms, the bandages were off so she could see his tan skin as it glowed in the sun that was coming in through the window. "I won't apologize," he held her from behind, hands around her waist and his head resting at her shoulder. "Why should I? After all I was only looking at the woman I love." He gave her a toothy grin, one that made her cheeks heat up.

"Idiot." She muttered under her breath and held his hands in hers.  
Kiba gave a soft laugh at her,"That's my Sakura." He kissed the side of her face and both gave a content smile as they leaned into the other.

For a moment they stayed that way. Neither let go and neither ever wanted to, they wanted to keep on holding each other for eternity.

"Tell me," Kiba spoke first, breaking the comfortable silence. "When you and Naruto disappeared, you guys went after Sasuke didn't you?" when Shino first told him the news he had a feeling deep in his heart that they did go looking for the Uchiha.

"Yes," Sakura breathed out. She missed the happy atmosphere that was replaced by a much heavier one. "It was me, Naruto, and the Sanin Jiraiya. We went to the land of rice patties because there was a rumor that Orochimaru's hideout was." she sighed, wanting to go back to the happy moment that was now gone. It seemed even with Sasuke out of the village he was still making her happy times disappear.

"And?" Kiba urged her to continue. "What happened?" he was scared of hearing the answer but he needed to know. Even now in the back of his mind he was scared that she only was with him because Sasuke was gone. He needed to know that she was with him because she wanted to be and not because she just missed the Uchiha.

"We didn't find him," she sighed again and Kiba wasn't sure if he should be grateful or not. "Instead we found a clan that was being controlled and used by Orochimaru. He promised them power but instead he turned innocent people into robbers and monsters and than abandoned them," she gripped his hands tighter; her hatred of Orochimaru had grown so much stronger from her time spent on her last mission. "We met this girl named Sasame that was trying her hardest to save her cousin. Her cousin Arashi was turned into some type of creature by Orochimaru and he and a few others that were turned into creatures attacked us. Sasame did everything she could to stop Arashi and Naruto was doing the same, he was fighting so hard to protect not only Sasame but only me," she gave a bitter smile at the memories. She could see the battle that happened not only a few days ago so clearly in her head. "I couldn't do anything and I hated it. I was deadweight, a burden and even Arashi who was a monster could see. I was weak," she could still hear his words when he called her deadweight. "But when Sasame was about to be killed I stepped in before I even realized it and I was ready to give my life to protect her-"

"What?" Kiba finally stopped her, making her turn around in his hold so he could stare at her. "You nearly got yourself killed? Are you crazy?" he pulled her back into his hold and held on tight. "Don't ever do something like that again. I don't want to lose you, Sakura." The sudden thought that she was nearly killed on this mission frightened him and he hated it. He wanted to be by her side and protect her so hearing news like this had upset him.

Sakura smiled into his hold. He said almost the same thing as Naruto but only this time was different. Hearing it this time made her heart beat ten times faster. "I won't say I'm sorry," she giggled, using his words against him now and he grunted in annoyance. "I wanted to help Sasame because I was amazed at how far she was willing to go for Arashi. Even Naruto had amazed me and that made me realize that I need to get stronger too. I asked Lady Tsuande to take me on as her apprentice and she agreed. Starting tomorrow I begin my training as a medical ninja." It still felt a little surreal to think that Hokage was willing to train her but she was so glad that it was happen.

"That's amazing," Kiba felt a swell of pride flow into his heart. His girl was going to get stronger and be trained by the Hokage herself, something not many people can say happened to them. "Congratulations." He was proud of Sakura.

"Thank you," Sakura twisted back around so that her back was facing his chest again. She was comfortable like this. "I'll need all the help I can get if I'm going to help Naruto like I promised," she felt Kiba stiffen when she said this and she knew what it was about. "I promised that next time I would help him bring Sasuke back."

"I see…" Kiba didn't know how he felt about that. He hated the Uchiha and the thought of Sakura trying to do everything possible to bring him back only upset him more.

"Moron," she flicked his nose. "I'm doing this because Sasuke's my teammate. That's it, nothing more and nothing less," She huffed and crossed her arms. "Honestly, you and your jealously can be so annoying."

"So what are you saying?" Kiba couldn't stop the hope that was blooming in his chest. She couldn't possibly be saying what he thought she was…could she? "Does that mean you don't love Sasuke?" he needed to know.

Sakura smiled at Kiba, she could see the fear and the hope shining bright in his eyes. "I can't say that. I do love Sasuke but I love him the same way I love Naruto and Kakashi-sensei and Ino and everyone else in the village. He's my teammate and my family and I want him back," she leaned forward and gave Kiba a light peck on the lips. "I love you." The loved she felt for Kiba was different than the love she felt for everyone else. This was the same love that a woman feels for a man.

Kiba was frozen solid half a second before he reacted. His grin came back at full force and tackled Sakura into a giant bear hug on the bed. "Good!" he was grinning from ear to ear and Akamaru decided to join in on their hug. He found himself a good spot in between the two and was barking happily, the nin-dog was glad his master got the one he wanted.

Sakura was laughing in pure joy and Kiba was joining in, both extremely happy with how everything was going for them. Nothing could ever ruin this moment. They were in love and happy and together. They remained like that until they fell asleep in each other's and were awoken by an amused Hokage and a flash of light.

* * *

It's been about a two year since Sasuke left the village and it was almost time for Naruto to return since he left with Jiraiya to train. Sakura has been training with Tsunade everyday and Kiba has been doing the same with his team and family. The two were usually together; they tried as much as they could to find some free time but with all the missions and training that was in their schedules it took a lot of work to find free time. On the day they confessed Tsuande walked in on them, both in each others arms and sleeping peacefully together. This ended up with pictures being taken and a bet somehow being won by Tsuande from Kiba's mother. Of course word got out that they were together but most of the village didn't believe it because they never saw the couple together. So it could swept under the rug as a stupid rumor.

"Hey Sakura," Kiba and Akamaru made their way through the broken training field to see a panting pink-haired girl taking a break from her training. "You finally finished?" Kiba had his hands in his pockets and Akamaru by his side, Sakura had made a comment about a month ago that the nin-dog was getting bigger but Kiba didn't see it.

"Yeah, I'm just catching my breath." Sakura reached for her water bottle and took a giant gulp of the liquids it held. She was exhausted by the training she was put through but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Both she and Kiba finally had some time to spend together and show the village that they were dating.

"Good, now just do me a favor and hold still." Sakura was confused by his words and looked to her boyfriend to see why but instead screamed and jumped out of the way of a finally kunai.

"Kiba? What the hell!" she screamed at her boyfriend for trying to take her head off.

"Why'd you move?" Kiba growled and took out another kunai.

"Because I don't want my head chopped off," she slapped the other kunai out of his hand and down to the ground. "Just what the hell are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking you look better with short hair," he huffed out and picked up his fallen kunai. "Your hair is long again and people are starting to think it's because you miss Sasuke," Kiba growled and looked at the long hair in annoyance. He was the one bothered the most by how people believed their relationship wasn't real. Sakura was finally his girlfriend and the only people who knew it were his family, the Hokage, Ino and his team. Everyone else believed they weren't together and it annoyed him. "I was trying to cut it but you moved out of the way." He wanted her hair cut, it look so much better short and it didn't make people think she was still in love with Sasuke. She was in love with him and he was in love with her. They were both Chunin now, fifteen, and in love and they wanted to be recognized as a couple.

Sakura sighed and unwrapped her headband. "You could have just told me," she took the kunai from his hand and walked over to a nearby lake, she looked at her reflection in the clear water before grabbing a handful of hair and began cutting away the long pink hair until it reached her shoulders. "I've been busy training so I didn't notice," she looked herself over in the lake water, cutting away on lose ends or any longs pieces she may have missed. "Better now?" she asked with an amused grin. He acted like such a little kid sometimes but that only made her laugh.

"Much," he moved forward and kissed her smiling lips. A sigh of content escaped him as it always does when he kisses her. "Now let's go and show that stupid village that our relationship is real!" he already had the perfect plan to show the whole village that Sakura was his girlfriend and was no longer a Sasuke fan-girl.

"Well what are we waiting for," Sakura laughed at him and took a step forward, "Let's get going." She wanted to see how this date would turn out.

"Great," Kiba was grinning from ear to ear and started to break out into a quick jog, he wanted to get this started. "Come on Akamaru, let's go for a walk." He called to his companion and the nin-dog barked, jumping into the air and landing on Kiba's head. The impact was more than Kiba had thought it would be and he fell to the ground and passed.

"Kiba!" Sakura ran over to him in worry and cursed when she saw his was knocked out.

* * *

"Urgh! Where am I?" his nose picked up a lot of different scents but he recognized one immediately. "Sakura?" he sat up and realized he was in the hospital.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Sakura was glad to see he was awake. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, checking him over for any signs of pain.

"I'm okay, a little dizzy, but I'll be fine," he told her what he was feeling and looked around the room. Akamaru was sitting down at the end of the bed and he was whining. "What's wrong boy?" Kiba reached over to comfort his companion that was obviously upset about something.

"He just feels a little guilty about putting you in here," Sakura explained but by the confused look Kiba had meant she had more talking to do. "When you tried going for a walk and he jumped on your head you passed out. I told you, Akamaru's gotten bigger. He's too big for him to ride on your head." She said this and both Inuzukas looked shocked.

"So what are we supposed to do than?" Kiba didn't like this. He had gotten so used to Akamaru riding on his head, it was how they always been together.

"How about you ride him?" Sakura suggested. "He's big enough that your weight wouldn't bother him." It seemed like the perfect solution for the two.

"Ride Akamaru?" Kiba wasn't sure about that. He didn't want to hurt his best friend or make him feel inferior. Their relationship was as equals and he didn't want to make his buddy feel any different. "What do you think boy?" he asked Akamaru and received a loud happy bark in return. "You like that idea? Okay, than from now on I ride you."

Sakura laughed when she saw that the two Inuzukas were happy with this new outcome. "Glad I could help." She was happy to help them. She liked seeing a happy Inuzuka instead of a sad one.

Kiba looked at his girlfriend and frowned. "Sorry about this Sakura. I know this isn't what you had in mind for our date." He let out a long sigh. He had been looking forward to being with her and finally having the village knowing they were a couple.

"It's alright." She gave a light shrug at this.

"But the village-" Kiba was stopped by Sakura placing one finger over his mouth.

"I don't care what the village thinks. I only care about what you think of me," the smile she wore never once left her face as she spoke. "If they don't believe us than let's just keep us a secret until they finally see the truth. I'm betting the results will be pretty funny." She started laughing, already imagining the shocked faces of everyone who didn't believe they were dating.

Kiba imagined this himself and thought it was pretty funny too. "Well it'll be annoying but I guess you're right," he pulled her down into her arms and they laid together on the hospital bed. "But man this sucks. I have a mission tomorrow and I don't get back for a few days."

Sakura was disappointed when she heard that. "At least you still have missions. For some reason Lady Tsuande has me on off-duty and is making me get the guards at the gate reports." She sighed; she didn't like the type of duty she was performing. She trained for two years now and she wanted to do more than just be a silly messenger girl.

"Hmm…that's weird," Kiba didn't understand what their Hokage was thinking and he didn't waste any time trying. "She probably has her reasons." It was all he could come up with.

"She better," Sakura grumbled into his shoulder and Kiba laughed. "If I find out she's just been sending me there because she's too lazy to assign someone else there'll be hell to pay." She growled and Kiba was beginning to wonder if some of his Inuzuka traits were starting to rub off on her.

He liked that idea if it was true. "Well why do you think she's doing it?"

Sakura thought over her answer before replying, "I think it has something to do with Naruto."

"Naruto?" Kiba was confused. What did picking up reports have to do with the blonde that left two years ago to train?

"Well he should be coming home any day now so maybe she's trying to make up meet up again?" Sakura wasn't sure if that was the truth but it made just about as much sense as the other ideas she came up with. "It's only a theory but it's a nice one." it was no secret that she missed her teammate. Team Seven pretty much didn't exist anymore and everyone knew that it bothered her more than she let on.

"Maybe," Kiba ran one hand through her short pink hair, some lose strands sticking onto his fingers. "You never know. It could be true and if it is than it just mean a new beginning for us all." He said it and held her closer.

"Yeah." Sakura smiled into her boyfriend's shoulder and held tight. She listened to his words and believed in them. Naruto would be returning soon and with his return would be a new beginning but even with that there would be one thing that would remain the same. The love they share will never change.

Kiba gave a soft chuckle and Sakura looked up at him with a questioning gaze. "Just wondering how everyone will act when they finally know we're really dating." He laughed again.

Sakura snuggled closer to her boyfriend and smiled when his familiar scent came into her nose and the warm feeling she always got touched her body. "Whose knows, who cares."

That was all she needed to say. All that mattered was that they loved each other and they were finally together.

**End**


End file.
